Special Envoy to Colleville-Montgomery and Arromanches
Applause replaced pots and pans, cheers and boos. While the opponents of the pension reform offered themselves a baroud of honor, Emmanuel Macron roamed Normandy to commemorate the 79th anniversary of the landing. Smoothly. As if the page was finally turning. In the morning, the boss of the CFDT had also acknowledged that the new demonstration would probably be the last. "The match is probably ending," said Laurent Berger.
The day before, at Mont Saint-Michel, the President of the Republic made the same half-word diagnosis. Before continuing his tour of France appeasement Tuesday, first in Colleville-Montgomery for a commemoration ceremony, then in Arromanches to visit the museum of the landing. Everywhere, the crowd greets him warmly. So much so that Emmanuel Macron offers himself the luxury of shaking hands and taking some pictures. Unthinkable just a few weeks ago. There are a few grumbles who weigh a little further in their corner but they are not numerous enough to be heard. Those who manage to approach the president ask him for autographs, some congratulate him.
A warmthless reunion with Borne
Despite some attempts, he refuses to comment on the exhaustion of the movement against pensions. No provocation as the page turns. And then his popularity rating stabilizes, or even begins to rise. But it's fragile. And then the troubles are not over yet. Now that the hardest seems to be behind him, he must relaunch his five-year term. Against a backdrop of tensions with Elisabeth Borne, the majority is buzzing with rumours of a more or less imminent reshuffle. After denying any disagreement with his prime minister Monday at Mont Saint-Michel, Emmanuel Macron found her Tuesday in Colleville-Montgomery to attend the military ceremony. Without heat. As they shook hands in the crowd, the two heads of the executive stood at a distance. Only a local elected official managed to bring them together for the time of a photo. Then everyone went their own way.
After the adoption of the pension reform, Emmanuel Macron had given himself "a hundred days" to appease the country. The first part ends with the protest running out of steam, the second starts with the establishment of a new political mechanism. The head of state does not have all the cards in hand. The rest depends on the attitude of the Republicans, their decision to give or not their vote to Emmanuel Macron to give him the absolute majority in the National Assembly. A balance of power against a backdrop of presidential ambitions.
He has set a deadline of July 14. It is there that he will learn from the sequence he has not yet finished writing. For the time being, other concerns await him, international this time. They caught up with him in Normandy when the destruction of a Ukrainian dam was announced. The President of the Republic refused to comment, reiterating only his support "for Ukraine and the Ukrainian people (...) to the end." But he discussed it Tuesday night in Berlin with German Chancellor Olaf Scholtz. As soon as he finished his Normandy tour, he flew to Germany.