Before the French election: Le Pen questions Macron's role as commander-in-chief
It is an honorable title because the Prime Minister is in charge of the budget, she stressed. She believes that her party Rassemblement National (RN) will achieve an absolute majority in the upcoming parliamentary election, and RN party leader Jordan Bardella will then become the Prime Minister. "The President cannot send soldiers to Ukraine," declared Le Pen.
Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu responded to this by saying, "The Constitution is not an honorary title." He quoted the former President Charles de Gaulle in an online service X: "According to the Constitution, the President is the guarantor of the independence and integrity of the country as well as of the treaties that bind it. In short, he is responsible for France."
The politician close to President Emmanuel Macron, François Bayrou, accused Le Pen of being unconstitutional. "If you claim that it is just a nice title, then you are seriously questioning the Constitution," he told Europe 1. "Putin is already popping the champagne," he said in reference to the long-standing relationship between the RN and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Le Pen confirmed her position later on X with more diplomatic words: "The Premier Minister's ability to speak out against the deployment of French soldiers abroad is not in question, but the Prime Minister has the power to object through budget control," she explained.
Constitutional experts point out that the division of roles regarding defense in the French Constitution is not clear-cut. "This is one of the points where it is the most unclear," said the expert Bertrand Mathieu. "There is no clear demarcation," he added. This question has not played a role so far because there have been no disagreements.
According to the assessment of constitutional lawyer Mathieu Carpentier, there could be tensions regarding the question of sending French military trainees to Ukraine. "The risk of a political crisis is quite high and could harm our strategic interests," he said.
According to a survey published on Thursday, the RN is leading with 36% of the votes, followed by the left-green New People's Front with 29% of the votes. The government coalition is far behind with 19.5% of the votes, as shown in a Thursday survey. The voter turnout could rise from nearly 48% in 2022 to up to 65%.
The first round takes place on Sunday, the second round on July 7. Macron surprisingly announced new elections to the National Assembly after the RN triumph and the poor performance of the government coalition in the European elections on June 9. If the RN achieves an absolute majority, Macron may be forced to enter into a political shotgun wedding with a right-populist government leader.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed optimism in an AFP interview that the next government, regardless of the election result, will remain independent of the Russian aggressor and uphold European values. "We are confident that the next government, regardless of the Russian aggressor, will be independent and will adhere to European values," he said.
- In response to Jordan Bardella's claims, Sébastien Lecornu referred to the role of the President in the Constitution, quoting Charles de Gaulle.
- Le Pen maintains that the Prime Minister's ability to voice opposition to sending French troops abroad does not infringe upon their authority.
- The division of roles regarding defense in the French Constitution is a topic of ambiguity, according to constitutional expert Bertrand Mathieu.
- The potential tensions surrounding the deployment of French military trainees to Ukraine could lead to a political crisis, as suggested by Mathieu Carpentier.
- The Rassemblement National (RN) is predicted to secure an absolute majority in the upcoming parliamentary election, as believed by its leader, Jordan Bardella.
- In the aforementioned survey, the RN emerged as the leading party with 36% of the votes, surpassing other prominent political groups.
- During the parliamentary election, France:, Emmanuel Macron may be forced to cooperate with a right-populist leader if the RN achieves an outright majority.
- The Prime Minister, as per the Constitution, is entrusted with budget management, as emphasized by the incumbent Prime Minister before the parliamentary election.
- Marine Le Pen's stance on Ukraine was criticized by François Bayrou, who accused her of undermining the Constitution and fueling potential relations with Vladimir Putin.
- Before the parliamentary election, the voter turnout is predicted to rise, potentially reaching up to 65% according to recent polls.
- Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian President, expressed faith in the independence of the next government, regardless of election results, and its adherence to European values.
