Special envoy to Colleville-Montgomery and Arromanches
Applause replaced pans, cheers boos. While the opponents of the pension reform offered themselves a last stand, Emmanuel Macron surveyed Normandy to commemorate the 79th anniversary of the landing. Without issue. As if the page had finally turned. In the morning, the boss of the CFDT had also recognized that the new event would probably be the last. “The match is probably over,” said Laurent Berger.
The day before, at Mont Saint-Michel, the President of the Republic formulated the same half-word diagnosis. Before continuing his tour of France of appeasement on Tuesday, first in Colleville-Montgomery for a commemoration ceremony, then in Arromanches to visit the landing museum. Everywhere, the crowd welcomes him warmly. So much so that Emmanuel Macron has the luxury of going to shake hands and take a few photos. Unthinkable a few weeks ago. There are a few grumps who curse a little further in their corner, but they are not numerous enough to be heard. Those who manage to approach the president ask him for autographs, some congratulate him.
Despite several attempts, he refuses to comment on the breathlessness of the movement against pensions. No provocation as the page turns. And then his popularity level stabilizes, or even begins to rise. But it’s fragile. And then the troubles are not over yet. Now that the worst seems behind him, he must relaunch his five-year term. Against the backdrop of tensions with Elisabeth Borne, the majority is buzzing with rumors of a more or less imminent reshuffle. After denying any disagreement with his prime minister on Monday at Mont Saint-Michel, Emmanuel Macron found her on Tuesday at Colleville-Montgomery to attend the military ceremony. Without heat. When going to shake hands in the crowd, the two heads of the executive stood at a distance. Only a local elected official managed to bring them together for a photo. Then everyone went their own way.
After the adoption of the pension reform, Emmanuel Macron had given himself “one hundred days” to appease the country. The first part ends with the breathlessness of the protest, the second starts with the establishment of a new political device. The Head of State does not have all the cards in hand. The rest depends on the attitude of the Republicans, on their decision whether or not to give their vote to Emmanuel Macron to give him an absolute majority in the National Assembly. A balance of power against a backdrop of presidential ambitions.
He gave himself a deadline of July 14. This is where he will learn from the sequence he has not yet finished writing. For the time being, other concerns await him, international ones this time. They caught up with him in Normandy when the destruction of a Ukrainian dam was announced. The President of the Republic refused to comment, simply reiterating his support “for Ukraine and the Ukrainian people (…) until the end”. But he spoke about it on Tuesday evening in Berlin with German Chancellor Olaf Scholtz. Barely finished his Normandy tour, he flew to Germany.