The speech caps off a tumultuous 2024 for Macron, who shocked the nation by calling for early elections in the middle of the year, but voters turned out to be a hung parliament with a significant increase in the number of far-right MPs. The gamble to weaken Macron’s power has backfired.
In a televised address ahead of New Year’s celebrations, President Macron said: “Clarity and humility have made me realize (that) at this stage this decision has created more instability than peace, and I fully agree with that.” “I acknowledge that,” he said.
“Dissolution has caused more divisions in Parliament than solutions for the French people,” he added, in the clearest charge since the election.
Mr Macron had justified his decision to call early elections by saying there was a need to “clarify” the political situation following the poor results in the European elections.
But he lost a viable majority and it took two months to form a minority government, which finally collapsed in December, the first time this had happened in France since 1962.
As a result, France failed to approve its 2025 budget by the year-end deadline, forcing Macron to name centrist veteran François Bayrou as his fourth prime minister this year in December.
Macron also opened the door to holding a referendum this year without using those words, saying he would ask France to decide on “crucial” questions without elaborating on which ones.
The French constitution gives the president the power to initiate a referendum.
Macron has used non-binding, randomly selected citizen assemblies in the past to quell uprisings, such as the Yellow Vests, on specific issues.
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