Current:Home > FinanceFrench President Macron will hold a prime-time news conference in a bid to revitalize his presidency-LoTradeCoin
French President Macron will hold a prime-time news conference in a bid to revitalize his presidency
View Date:2024-12-25 01:51:30
PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron will hold his first prime-time news conference on Tuesday to announce his top priorities for the year as he seeks to revitalize his presidency, vowing to focus on “results” despite not having a majority in parliament.
More than three years before the end of his term, Macron is trying to bring in fresh faces and ideas after appointing a new centrist government last week led by France’s youngest-ever prime minister.
On Tuesday evening, Macron is expected to detail the key goals assigned to new, popular Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, 34, and Cabinet members to bolster his legacy amid growing political pressure from the far right. The Constitution doesn’t allow Macron to run for a third consecutive term in 2027.
Macron said in his New Year’s Eve address that he wants 2024 to be a year of “effective results” and “French pride” marked by the Paris Olympics this summer.
Recent opinion polls have shown that top concerns among the French include rising prices, struggling health and education systems, and security issues.
Macron’s move to refresh the government comes after two major laws he had promised were adopted last year. One pushed the retirement age from 62 to 64. The other, on immigration, is intended to strengthen France’s ability to deport foreigners who are considered undesirable.
The contentious immigration bill has been criticized by some in opposition as too right-leaning, and Macron himself had to argue it was not a victory for the far-right.
His government still faces a major challenge: With no majority in parliament, it can only pass laws by bargaining with opposition lawmakers and using special constitutional powers.
Amid other promises, Macron has vowed to bring France back to full employment by the end of his term. The proportion of jobless people fell since he arrived in office in 2017 from over 10% to about 7% last year, but it has started to rise again.
EU elections in June are another major challenge for the French president, who is a staunch supporter of the European Union.
“The upcoming European elections are key to giving EU institutions the tools, dynamics, and legitimacy to address challenges ahead,” political experts Léonie Allard and Maris Jourdain wrote in an analysis for the Atlantic Council think tank.
“A success in European elections is important for Macron at home, too. In 2019, elections in France brought the extreme right-wing National Rally into the European Parliament. It would be a major domestic setback for Macron to govern France with his party poorly represented in the Parliament,” they said.
Macron has held few wide-ranging news conferences at the Elysee Palace — and none in the evening, a timing meant to reach the broadest audience possible. Tuesday’s event will be broadcast live on several national television channels.
The first days of the new government have been marred by controversies over newly named ministers.
The appointment as culture minister of Rachida Dati, an outspoken figure from The Republicans conservative party, was highly criticized. Dati had been handed preliminary corruption-related charges in 2021 by investigative magistrates over consulting fees she received from the Renault-Nissan automobile manufacturers’ alliance.
Under French law, preliminary charges mean magistrates have strong reason to suspect wrongdoing but allow time for further investigation before deciding whether to send a case to trial.
Macron’s office argued she has the right to the presumption of innocence.
Another controversy broke out when the new education minister, Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, said she preferred to send her children to a private Catholic school in Paris, pointing to the issue of public school teachers who, she said, go on leave without being replaced.
The next day, she apologized for having offended some teachers.
The comments prompted an immediate debate about French elites’ privileges compared to most ordinary people, whose children attend public schools that struggle with a lack of human and financial resources.
veryGood! (18496)
Related
- College football top five gets overhaul as Georgia, Miami both tumble in US LBM Coaches Poll
- How Blac Chyna Found Angela White Again in Her Transformation Journey
- NASCAR Darlington race spring 2024: Start time, TV, live stream, lineup for Goodyear 400
- Cavaliers crash back to earth as Celtics grab 2-1 lead in NBA playoffs series
- Biden funded new factories and infrastructure projects, but Trump might get to cut the ribbons
- Is grapefruit good for you? The superfood's health benefits, explained.
- Extreme G5 geomagnetic storm reaches Earth, NOAA says, following unusual solar event
- Will we see the northern lights again Sunday? Here's the forecast
- Jason Kelce collaborates with Stevie Nicks for Christmas duet: Hear the song
- JoJo Siwa's Massive Transformations Earn Her a Spot at the Top of the Pyramid
Ranking
- A crowd of strangers brought 613 cakes and then set out to eat them
- What's your chance of seeing the northern lights tonight? A look at Saturday's forecast
- Why Erin Andrews Wants You to Know She Has a Live-in Nanny
- Jayden Daniels, Malik Nabers call off $10K bet amid NFL gambling policy concerns
- Chris Pratt and Katherine Schwarzenegger welcome their first son together
- A combustible Cannes is set to unfurl with ‘Furiosa,’ ‘Megalopolis’ and a #MeToo reckoning
- U.S. weapons may have been used in ways inconsistent with international law in Gaza, U.S. assessment says
- Suns hiring another title-winning coach in Mike Budenholzer to replace Frank Vogel, per reports
Recommendation
-
Man jailed after Tuskegee University shooting says he fired his gun, but denies shooting at anyone
-
Mitchell has 33 points, but Cavaliers can’t contain Tatum and Brown in Game 3 loss to Celtics
-
Honolulu agrees to 4-month window to grant or deny gun carrying licenses after lawsuit over delays
-
Man charged with overturning port-a-potty, trapping woman and child inside
-
Pete Rose fans say final goodbye at 14-hour visitation in Cincinnati
-
Minnesota unfurls new state flag atop the capitol for the first time Saturday
-
A parliamentary election runoff puts hard-liners firmly in charge of Iran’s parliament
-
MALCOIN Trading Center: Cryptocurrencies Redefining Global Cross-Border Payments