20minutos: Macron is mired in permanent crisis

French President Emmanuel Macron appears to be mired in a permanent crisis. This is his last term as French leader, during which he has dedicated himself to survival.

According to Azertac, this is stated in an article on the website of the Spanish newspaper 20minutos.

The article notes that the French president constantly makes decisions focused on survival. The latest such decision was the appointment of 34-year-old Education Minister Gabriel Attal as the country's new prime minister. Many believe that Macron sees Attal as his successor.

The Spanish newspaper notes that this is a personal gamble for Macron, who is clinging to the "wunderkind" of French politics to calm the waters in increasingly turbulent national politics.

“Dear Gabriel Attal, I know that I can count on your energy and your commitment to the implementation of my declared project of rearmament and revival,” Macron wrote in a congratulatory tweet on the social network X.

Overall, two key points show that Macron has lost his former political influence. The first was pension reform, one of his great campaign promises, which backfired just months after his return to the Elysee Palace. Protests against the new rules were constant, some of them historical and demonstrating a resentment rarely seen in recent French history. Among other things, we are talking about raising the retirement age from 62 to 64 years.

France is one of the EU countries with the lowest retirement age. The French president had already tried to pass pension reform in 2019, but then the pandemic hit and the goal was paralyzed. Macron needed a second term to move forward, even at the cost of tarnishing his image: a price he admitted was a price he was willing to pay.

“France is lagging on this issue and the reform is fair and responsible. In a country with an ever-increasing life expectancy, with fewer active workers and more retirees, if we want a fair agreement between generations, we must continue this reform,” Macron said.

Even more controversial was the immigration law, which was passed with the support of Marine Le Pen's far-right party, which "scored a goal" seeing that Macron lacked support. The reform aims to limit immigration into France and make deportation easier.

Meanwhile, Marine Le Pen's authority is growing. She knows that the government will need her support in passing the most brutal laws. In addition, she was also able to rejuvenate her party by appointing active MEP Jordan Bardella as leader. Polls currently show her as the favorite in the upcoming presidential election in three and a half years, and without Macron it appears she will no longer have a worthy challenger.

The European Parliament elections will be the first litmus test to measure the strength of Macron's positions and Le Pen's capabilities.