French Senate leader calls Macron leadership 'disappointing'
3 Min Read
The lack of “state authority” is a big black dot on the Macron list, as the Senate leader cites a rise of street violence, urban unrest, drug trafficking, defiance of law enforcement, and an overall deterioration of the country’s crime situation.
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Gérard Larcher in Paris, France on May 8, 2022 (AFP)
Emmanuel Macron's leadership has come to be proof of the president losing touch with reality and brushing off the concerns of the public, the leader of the French Senate, Gerard Larcher, said in an open criticism of the president.
During his interview with La Tribune newspaper on Sunday, Larcher was asked to assess Macron’s time as president almost seven years after taking office.
He expressed, “It’s disappointing. I have the impression that we don’t perceive the same country, that we don’t feel the same France,” as he named several issues to “illustrate Emmanuel Macron’s denial of reality.”
For instance, he highlighted the significant decline in school and education quality, referring to the latest PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) study which ranked French teenagers 26th in science and mathematics, and 29th in reading comprehension.
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“It’s not just a story of money and resources. There is a problem of transmission of values, respect for the authority of the teacher, preservation of secularism, particularly among the public,” Larcher continued.
Too late now?
He additionally spoke on healthcare, calling it “a very big concern for the French” with the hospital system becoming increasingly "bureaucratized".
“Although we are the country with the highest rate of public spending, our health system has deteriorated profoundly,” Larcher noted, stressing on the matter as millions of French people are forced to go to private medical care every year due to hospitals being staffed with 34% of non-medical administrative personnel.
The lack of “state authority” was another black dot on Macron's list, as Larcher cited a rise of street violence, urban unrest, drug trafficking, defiance of law enforcement, and an overall deterioration of the country’s crime.
“All of this creates distrust. I’m not saying the government hasn’t tried. I’m not saying it’s simple. But this prohibits any exercise of self-satisfaction,” he concluded.
This comes a mere week after Macron slammed the two-term constitutional limit that means he must step down in 2027, stating that he has no plans to alter it. However, he claims that the restriction of two consecutive presidential terms "takes away some of the freedom" of voters.
"It doesn't necessarily mean that I would like to run for a third term, but when we put prohibitions in the law, we somehow take away some of the freedom of sovereign voters," he said, as quoted by the French newspaper La Tribune.
In an attempt to battle the exponential rise of right-wing power in France, Macron carved out an agenda in January that appeals to general voters, including a focus on law and order, education, and pro-business policies.
In a statement, Macron said his intentions point to maintaining the French identity, for "France to stay France" – but so far, that has not been sitting well with the public.
