The Italianization of France leaves Macron even more isolated

ParisFrance has always regarded Italy with a certain arrogance and air of superiority. Last century, President Charles de Gaulle once said condescendingly, "Oh, the Italians..." This is recalled by the editorialist of the centrist Roman daily. The Messenger Mario Ajello in an article dedicated to the turbulent political and economic situation in France. "Now we should shout, in French: Viva Italia!" Ajello concludes.

The Italian Republic has experienced long periods of political instability. Since its creation in 1946, it has had 68 different governments. France, on the other hand, has had more stable governments since the beginning of the Fifth Republic in 1958. Everything changes in 2022, when an unprecedented period of instability began. which recalls the spirit of Italian politicsIn the last three and a half years, the country has had five prime ministers. "France is increasingly resembling Italy," the Italian online newspaper writes in a headline. The Post"And that's not a compliment," he points out.

President Emmanuel Macron began his second term in 2022 by losing his absolute majority in the National Assembly. Two years later, the call for early legislative elections meant that the Macronist coalition was no longer the largest parliamentary force and the Assembly was more fragmented than ever. No blog—neither the right, nor the left, nor the center—has a large majority.

The lack of solid majorities in the hemicycle—an unprecedented occurrence in the Fifth Republic, with an electoral system that has traditionally favored absolute majorities—is the trigger for instability and ungovernability. Passing a motion of no confidence has never been so simple. As life goes, while France is experiencing a period of chaos, Italy is now enjoying a political stability never seen in the last four decades, with the far-right Giorgia Meloni at the helm. The tables have turned.

Disorientation and apathy on the streets

France has not only become Italianized politically, but also economically. Since the pandemic, the public deficit has soared and debt continues to grow while GDP barely increases a few tenths, a situation that Italy has also experienced, especially after the 2008 crisis. "The confusion is total, the country ungovernable, the economy apathetic, the French are Europe is worried or sarcastic about this mess", highlights the editorialist of Le Monde Gérard Courtois.

Since the beginning of the French political crisis, President Macron has shrugged off all responsibility and blames political parties for the situation. "It's absolving himself of his own responsibility. Because it's total, since his political strategy, his way of exercising power, and the weakening of his reformist ambition come into play," Courtois maintains. His denialism is costing him dearly: his popularity is at its lowest level since he became president and, politically, he is more alone than ever.

His disconnection from reality began the day after the 2024 legislative elections, when he declared that "no one" had won. The most voted force was the left-wing coalition, which ran under the banner of the New Popular Front. The president never acknowledged the left's victory: none of the four prime ministers he has appointed since 2024 are progressive.

Although governments only last a few months, Macron is reluctant to call legislative elections again. The entire country was in shock when the president appointed Sébastien Lecornu as prime minister three days after the latter's resignation. "The head of state pretends to exercise the fullness of his power, even though he has lost his reality," says Gérard Courtois.

Nor did he think it was a disrespect to the opposition parties to appoint as head of government a politician who had served on previous executives, overthrown by the National Assembly in votes of no confidence or censure. Two weeks after his appointment for the second timeLecornu is still politically alive, but no one knows until whenThe President of the Republic is making things too easy for the far right, which is advancing unstoppably in the electoral polls.

Nostalgia for Mitterrand and Chirac

The French are nostalgic for the era when France was presided over by figures like François Mitterrand or Jacques Chirac, with solid parties behind them capable of managing cohabitation—which occurs when the governing party is of a different political persuasion than the president's—without turning it into crises. The current president of the Republic created his own party, now known as Renaissance. And as events are unfolding, it is likely to die in 2027, when Macron ends his final term.

Even the party's secretary general, former prime minister Gabriel Attal, has questioned the Élysée Palace tenant's decisions in recent weeks. "I don't understand his decisions," he went so far as to say. "The president has been trying the same thing for a year. I think it's time to try something else," defended the politician, who seemed destined to be the president's disciple. No one dares to predict what will happen in the 2027 presidential elections, but it seems increasingly clear that Macronism is coming to an end.