France: Macron Admits Error on Early Elections in New Year’s Speech

By Staff, Agencies

French President Emmanuel Macron acknowledged on Tuesday that his decision to call for early parliamentary elections in June had led to greater political instability in France, marking an unusual moment of self-reflection.

In a televised address ahead of New Year's celebrations, Macron admitted, “Lucidity and humility force [me] to recognize that at this stage, this decision has produced more instability than peace, and I fully own up to that.”

He further stated, “The dissolution caused more divisions in the Assembly than solutions for the French people,” offering his most sincere apology since the elections.

Macron had initially called the early elections following a poor showing for his party in the European elections, believing it was necessary to "clarify" the political landscape. However, the move backfired, resulting in a hung parliament and a significant rise in far-right lawmakers, which weakened Macron’s power.

He lost his parliamentary majority and struggled for two months before appointing a minority government, which ultimately collapsed in December—the first such failure in France since 1962. As a consequence, France was unable to approve its 2025 budget by the end-of-year deadline, and Macron was forced to name his fourth prime minister in December, centrist veteran François Bayrou.

Looking ahead, Macron suggested that referendums might be used to address “decisive” issues, though he did not specify which ones. “I want us to act with 2050 in our sights. We will have choices to make, for our economy, our democracy, our security, our children,” he said, referencing France’s long-term priorities.

The French president has the constitutional power to initiate referendums and has previously utilized “citizen conventions” to address domestic unrest, such as during the yellow vest protests.

On the international front, Macron called for the European Union to adopt a more assertive stance in global trade, warning against being "naive" as the bloc faces potential tariffs from US President-elect Donald Trump.

“We must say no to trade rules enacted by others and that we are the only ones to still comply with, say no to everything that makes us more dependent on others, without tradeoffs and without preparing the future,” he declared.