Macron: Opposition ready to work on 'major topics'

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
22 Jun 2022 23:01

Macron says that the parliamentary elections have exposed social problems in France.

French President Emmanuel Macron in Clamart, near Paris, France, on April 28, 2022 (AFP)

In his first speech since the election setback, French President Emmanuel Macron stated, on Wednesday, that opposition groups have expressed their readiness to work with his government on "major topics", having lost the parliamentary majority.

In a televised address, Macron added, "They are available to advance on major topics" such as the cost of living, jobs, energy, climate, and health.

The French President deemed any attempt to create a "government of national unity" unlikely after his Together party on Sunday fell short of the majority needed to legislate without others, stressing that such a move was "not justified" at this stage.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Macron approved that the parliamentary elections had exposed social problems in France, however, he urged opposition parties to "leave in-fighting behind" and move "beyond politics".

"Together we will have to learn a new way to govern and to legislate," he said.

He went on to say that urgent draft laws, most notably to lessen the impact of inflation and rising energy prices, would be succumbed to parliament over the summer.

Macron urged the opposition parties to "clarify in all transparency, in the coming days, how far they are willing to go".

He claimed that he himself had been re-elected in April on a platform of "ambitious reform", which he anticipated to carry out.

The French President concluded by saying that the parliamentary impasse should not lead to "stagnation", but to "dialogue and the willingness to listen to each other."