By Yonatan McHugh
25 April 2018
Since center left Emmanuel Macron defeated far right Marine Le Pen, nobody was exactly sure of what to expect from the new “La République En Marche!” party, which literally translates to mean “The Republic In March!”. Two years ago, this party did not exist. Now this party controls 361 of the 577 total parliament seats, giving Macron broad legislative power to enforce many of the changes he has envisioned for France and the European Union. One such change, for example, is taxing companies where they make their money instead of where they’re based. To make this new political power more interesting, Macron is just 40 years old, making him the youngest president in French history.
Last summer Macron addressed both houses of parliament in Versailles, the former seat of French kings built in the 17 century by King Louis XIV, which already lead to some to accuse him of monarchist leanings. In this address, Macron vowed to cut the size of parliament by a third, and to enforce this move by direct referendum if parliament should not approve of it.
These are not the only moves that seem to many to have all the trappings of authoritarianism. This January, the French President declared war on fake news, promising strong legislation which in and of itself may be considered a fair option. The difficulty lies in who decides what constitutes fake news, as well as the guidelines and criteria for such a decision. While increasing state control of media consumption may be a sure method of increasing his overall power, the more ambitious move by Macron was unveiled in February. With plans to modernize France's army and nuclear capability in mind, a defense spending boost of over $359 Billion over eight years is being instituted.
Individually, these plans and policies may be taken to be manifestations of political polarization. Together, however, they add up to an overall direction that Macron is moving France towards. His personality is polarizing, claiming conservatives and liberals, globalists and nationalists, alike. The controversy he spreads is also not centralized in any single political camp either. France has not had so much power and potential for change surrounding a single individual for quite some time; one could argue centuries even. While the change he promises comes with many potential benefits for the French people, there are also risks beneath the surface. This much power in one person, especially so young, indicates Macron intends on a long political career. While term duration is currently limited by French law to two terms of five years, Macron’s willingness to overhaul the current parliamentary structure is substantial evidence this may not remain the case.
All in all, Macron stands in stark contrast to what may typically be considered despots and authoritarians. For him, power is not the end, but the means to an end. His passion and dedication to a different, better France has won the hearts and minds of many of the French people. Macron took office in a state of emergency following the Paris attacks and a difficult economic situation with figures far below where they’ve been for France in the past. France’s ally the United States has recently become difficult to work with politically and economically, and leadership in the European Union is now unclear with Merkel struggling to find political capital to sustain a meaningful coalition in German politics. Despite all of these things, Emmanuel Macron remains not only undaunted, but ambitious and optimistic by what can be accomplished.
The views expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Infuse Student Media or Southwest Baptist University.
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