Macron acknowledges error on early elections in New Year's speech

By Michel Rose, Dominique Vidalon

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday he recognised that his decision to call early parliamentary elections in June had created more political instability in the country, in a rare moment of contrition.

The speech caps a tumultuous 2024 for Macron, who shocked the nation halfway through the year by calling early elections, a gamble that backfired when voters delivered a hung parliament with a big increase in far-right lawmakers, diluting Macron's power.

"Lucidity and humility force (me) to recognise that at this stage, this decision has produced more instability than peace, and I fully own up to that," Macron said in a televised address ahead of New Year's celebrations.

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"The dissolution caused more divisions in the Assembly than solutions for the French people," he added, in the clearest mea culpa since the elections.

Macron had justified his decision to call early elections in the wake of a bad score at European elections by the need to "clarify" the political situation.

But he lost his workable majority and took two months to name a minority government, which eventually collapsed in December, the first time that happened in France since 1962.

As a result, France failed to approve a budget for 2025 before the end-of-year deadline, and Macron had to name his fourth prime minister this year, centrist veteran Francois Bayrou, in December.

CHOICES TO MAKE

Macron also opened the door to use referendums this year, without using the word, saying he would ask the French to decide on "decisive" issues, without elaborating which ones.

"I want us to act with 2050 in our sights. We will have choices to make, for our economy, our democracy, our security, our children," he said.

The French constitution grants powers to the president to initiate referendums.

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Macron has also used "citizen conventions", gatherings of randomly picked citizens without any binding power, in the past to quell revolts such as the yellow vest rebellion on certain issues.

On international issues, in which he retains wide diplomatic and military powers, Macron said the European Union should stop being "naive" when it comes to international trade, as the bloc faces threats of tariffs by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.

"We must say no to trade rules enacted by others and that we are the only ones to still comply with, say no to everything that makes us more dependent on others, without tradeoffs and without preparing the future," he said.

He also mentioned war in Ukraine and the Middle East, and election manipulation in Georgia, Romania and Moldova, as proof Europe should not take its security for granted.

"That's why Europe should stop delegating its security and defence to other powers," he said, urging EU partners, who often rely on the U.S. security umbrella, to do more for their own defence.