Le Pen questions Macron's powers as commander-in-chief

Few days before the first round of the French Parliament election, Marine Le Pen questioned the powers of the President as Commander-in-Chief of the Army and sparked a heated debate. The constitutional role of the President as "Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces" is an "honorary title," Le Pen stated in an interview with the newspaper "Le Telegramme" published on a Wednesday evening.

"It is an honorary title because the Prime Minister holds the purse strings," she emphasized. She believes that her party Rassemblement National (RN) will reach an absolute majority in the upcoming Parliament election, and RN party leader Jordan Bardella will then become the Prime Minister. "The President cannot send soldiers to Ukraine," Le Pen declared. Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu responded, "The Constitution is not an honorary position." He quoted the former President Charles de Gaulle in the 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, Francois Bayrou, accused Le Pen of being unconstitutional. "If you claim that it is just a pretty title, then you are seriously questioning the Constitution," Bayrou 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 later confirmed her stance on X with more diplomatic words, "Without questioning the President's authority to send soldiers abroad, the Prime Minister can object through the budget control."

Constitutional lawyers point out that the role distribution regarding defense in the French Constitution is not clear-cut. "That's one of the points where it's the most unclear," said the expert Bertrand Mathieu. "There is no clear demarcation," he added. The issue 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 a Thursday, the RN leads with 36% of the votes further ahead, while the left-green electoral alliance New Popular Front follows with 29% of the votes. The government coalition is far behind with 19.5% of the votes, as shown in a Thursday-published Ipsos survey. The voter turnout could rise from barely 48% in 2022 to up to 65%. The first round takes place on a Sunday, and the second round is on July 7. Macron surprisingly called for new elections to the National Assembly after the RN triumph and the poor showing of the government coalition in the European elections on June 9. If the RN achieves an absolute majority, he could be forced to enter into a political shotgun marriage with a right-wing populist government leader.

Le Pen suggested that the President, including potentially Macron in the future, doesn't have the actual power to send troops to places like Ukraine, as it's the Prime Minister who controls the budget strings.
In her interview with Le Telegramme, Le Pen labeled the Commander-in-Chief title an "honorary title," and Macron's critics, like Francois Bayrou, criticized this view as questioning the Constitution.
Within the context of the controversy surrounding Le Pen's stance, the French defense minister, Sebastien Lecornu, asserted that the Commander-in-Chief title has a substantive role and responsibilities.
Bardella, as a potential future Prime Minister of France under Le Pen's leadership, would hold specific powers related to the military, potentially pointing to the significance of Le Pen's approach to the Commander-in-Chief title.