June 9, 2024, will go down as one of the defining dates in the history of the Fifth Republic—for better or for worse.
On the same day, in the election for members of the European Parliament, the French voted—at a rate of 47%—in favor of three political parties described as extremist; In the wake of these results, the President of the Republic dissolved the National Assembly and called for a general election, as permitted by Article 12 of the Constitution.
As soon as the decision to dissolve the party became known, the party leaderships met to draw up their battle plans, just as they would in a war.
The rallying cry of parties not classified as extremist is simple: to block «extremists» on both the right and the left.
In plain terms, this means trying to ensure that the three parties in question—which, let’s reiterate, received 47% of the votes—do not secure a majority of seats in the National Assembly.
Yet all the polls predict an overwhelming majority for one of these so-called «extremist» parties, the National Rally.
This outcome seems all the more likely given that the other political groups remain deeply divided, even though arrangements made purely for electoral purposes do little to hide their profound disagreements. The 38 slates running in the European election are proof of this.
Consequently, there are two paths to lead France out of the crisis—that is, out of a moment when the past refuses to give way to the future.
The first path—the one currently being considered by most military leaders—is to attempt to prevent the National Rally, which holds a virtual majority in the National Assembly, from coming to power. Whether this effort succeeds or not, it will lead to a worsening of the civil war in which we are already embroiled—as evidenced by the historic surge in violence of all kinds—and to a worsening of our hardships, especially for the most vulnerable.
The second path—the only realistic, courageous, and effective one—is for the President of the Republic or the Speaker of either Chamber to propose, before the first round, a government of national unity, comprising representatives from all parties represented in the National Assembly on the evening of July 7, and implementing a carefully negotiated five-year plan of concrete actions to put the country back on track.
This is no dream: Switzerland and Germany, France’s immediate neighbors, have long been using this method, which is a hallmark of mature democracies.
Maurice Laouchez
