Legislative elections 2024: dissolution, reforms, alliances with the extremes… what to remember from Emmanuel Macron's conference

Emmanuel Macron during his press conference this Wednesday, June 12 to clarify his position after the dissolution of the Assembly, leading to the holding of new elections. EPA – TERESA SUAREZ

Emmanuel Macron held a press conference this Wednesday, June 12, which allowed him to set the main lines of his party's campaign in view of the early legislative elections that he himself triggered by dissolving the Assembly. nationally following the European elections. A look back at the president's main statements. 

Emmanuel Macron tried to explain on Wednesday his abrupt choice to dissolve the National Assembly by warning against extremes and calling for a republican revival in order to build a "project federation".

18 days before the deadline, the French president assured that he had heard "the anger" of the country embodied by the vote in favor of the extremes, to which he responds with a "clarification".

Dissolve, "only republican decision"

"The return to the sovereign people is in my eyes, in this context, the only republican decision", said the Head of State during ;a press conference on rue Cambon, not far from the Elysée, evoking an "act of trust".

In front of the government of Gabriel Attal gathered before him, he warned against extremes, three days after the European elections which saw the National Rally gather more than 31% of the votes, suggesting a good score in the legislative elections of June 30 and July 7. The presidential camp only gathered barely 15% of the votes and the extremes of right and left collected half of the votes, which the president recalled in his speech.

🔴 "J'aurai à choisir un Premier ministre (…) Vous êtes des drôles à penser que ce serait forcément l'extrême droite ou les extrêmes (…) La clarification, c'est maintenant"

💬 Emmanuel Macron, président de la République#LegislativesAnticipées pic.twitter.com/MT0NsIRaIX

— Info France 2 (@infofrance2) June 12, 2024

"This anger, I heard it", he said, while more than 90% of the municipalities in France put the National Rally in the lead in the European elections. "Everyone saw the waters of the extreme right rising (…) the clarification is now", said the president, for whom the leaders of the RN are "the incarnation of 'no'" at the head of a party "which serves demagoguery at all levels".

Macron denounces alliances

"Since Sunday evening, the masks are falling", also remarked the head of state, the day after the choice of the Republican president Eric Ciotti to form an alliance with the RN, to the great dismay of the party's leaders claiming to be General de Gaulle and Jacques Chirac.

"Les masques tombent": Emmanuel Macron dénonce des "alliances contre-nature aux deux extrêmes" pic.twitter.com/V2DldQKapm

— BFMTV (@BFMTV) June 12, 2024

While alliances are also being formed on the left, where a Popular Front is about to bring together families ranging from the Socialist Party to La France insoumise, Emmanuel Macron mentioned & quot;a test of truth between those who want to make their shop prosper, and those who want to make France prosper". "These alliances are tinkering devices but in no case majorities to govern", he said, evoking the "inconsistencies"on all subjects, from aid to Ukraine to public finance management to energy policy.

Framing the age of the first telephone

Emmanuel Macron spoke out in favor of banning the telephone "before the age of 11" and social networks "before 15 years", in line with the report submitted to the president by a commission of experts on the impact of young people's exposure to screens.

Emmanuel Macron veut interdire les téléphones portables "avant 11 ans" et "l'accès aux réseaux sociaux" avant 15 ans pic.twitter.com/1XFnINgIGp

— BFMTV (@BFMTV) June 12, 2024

Pension reform

Emmanuel Macron promised Wednesday that pensions will remain "well indexed to inflation", contrary to the assertions of the National Rally which asserts that the government has a "hidden agenda" on the subject.

"I will be very clear, pensions will be well indexed to inflation, the purchasing power of retirees, this n' #39;is not an adjustment variable", assured Mr. Macron who accused "the blocks of’ far left" and "extreme right" to put the retirement system "bankrupt" by proposing to return to the 2023 pension reform.

Return to the "major regions"

Emmanuel Macron wanted on Wednesday "to remove a territorial level"in the French administrative organization, and give the "choice" to the citizens of "reopen the question of the large regions which have moved away the decision", sensitive in several of them.

"We need to deconcentrate much more quickly but it will be necessary to remove a territorial level to bring more simplicity and freedom to the territories, reopen the question of these large regions which have moved away the decision and restore freedom of choice on the ground to our compatriots if they want to return to this subject", affirmed the President of the Republic in introductory remarks at a press conference organized after the dissolution of the National Assembly.

New Caledonia, audiovisual…

On New Caledonia, Macron says "suspend" contested electoral reform. Concerning other reforms, questioned about that of the audiovisual sector, he indicated, "Do I think that a reform is needed? for public broadcasting ? The answer is yes. Do I think this is a return to ORTF ? The answer is no. As for the reform of unemployment insurance, he "assumes", and estimates that&# 39;she is "important".