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French President Emmanuel Macron said he took responsibility for the political divisions caused by his decision to call early parliamentary elections in the summer, saying the move had created “more instability than peace.”
“Tonight I must admit that dissolution currently creates more divisions in Parliament than it provides solutions for the French people,” he said in his annual New Year’s address. “I fully acknowledge that.”
This is the eighth time Macron has been inaugurated as president, and his speech concluded the year. , and divided the French Parliament into three groups.
Macron surprised France by dissolving parliament in early June after his centrist candidates performed disappointingly in the European elections, saying France needed a “moment of clarity” to address the rise of RN in the European elections.
But subsequent elections decisively rejected his centrist, pro-business agenda and made the Nationalist party the largest party in France’s fractured parliament.
Macron appointed conservative politician and former Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier as prime minister in September. However, he was overturned in a no-confidence motion last month after failing to win support from the left and far right for a budget aimed at cutting France’s deficit, which has soared to more than 6% by 2024.
Macron has since appointed his ally François Bellew as prime minister. He called on politicians to compromise in 2025 and said he might also ask French voters to vote again in the coming year.
“I will also ask you to decide on some key issues, because each of you has a role to play,” he said in comments. Some commentators said a referendum could be held in 2025.
Macron also mentioned France’s foreign policy challenges next year.
After Donald Trump was re-elected as US president, he called on NATO allies to increase defense spending. Macron said that “Europe can no longer entrust its security and defense to other countries” and reiterated his call for Europe to increase defense spending.
He also called for Europe to “simplify the rules” to encourage companies to invest more.
But the speech is unlikely to change voters’ views of Macron. A poll conducted by Elabe last December showed that his approval rating has fallen to a record low this year, with only 21% of people having confidence in his ability to solve France’s problems.
His far-right rival Marine Le Pen said in her New Year’s address on Tuesday that “a belated regret or a perfunctory plea from a head of state who has been completely discredited will not change anything”.
While she stopped short of publicly calling on Macron to call snap presidential elections ahead of the next vote in 2027, Le Pen said 2025 would be a “decisive year,” adding that France could only solve its problems through “democratic decisions.”
