It’s a race against the clock, and there’s little time for debate. President Emmanuel Macron surprised the French political world on Sunday, June 9, when he announced the dissolution of the Assemblée Nationale and called early elections on June 30 and July 7. The urgent task for all political parties now is to select their candidates and draw up their policies.
The early days of the campaign were marked by negotiations and reshuffles within the various political camps. Some parties began to announce their priorities on important topics ranging from reforms such as pensions and unemployment insurance to topical issues such as the war in Ukraine and energy prices. Other important issues, such as climate change, have not been addressed by some parties and are therefore not included in this article. We have summarized the main divisions between the four blocs – the left-wing Nouveau Front Populaire alliance, Macron’s Renaissance party and its allies, the conservative Les Républicains (LR) and the far-right Rassemblement National (RN) – on eight of these topics.
Pensions
Raising the retirement age from 62 to 64 was part of Macron’s policy platform in 2022 and the measure was forced through Parliament in 2023. Several political groups are calling for a reversal of the unpopular reform.
The Nouveau Front Populaire wants to repeal the reform
The left-wing parties are all opposed to the 2023 pension reform, which they want to repeal. Their policy platform goes even further, aiming to restore the right to retire at age 60. They also plan to raise the minimum contributory pension to the level of the minimum wage and to raise the minimum old-age pension to the level of the poverty threshold.
Renaissance sticks to its law
The president’s party has no plans of reviving a debate on pensions between now and 2027. Macron expressed his disappointment in May at not having been able to implement his initial 2017 plan – a comprehensive reform creating a single points-based retirement system. This far-reaching overhaul is no longer on the agenda.
Les Républicains have no plans to reopen the debate
Valérie Pécresse, the conservative LR party’s candidate for the 2022 presidential election, promoted raising the legal retirement age to 65. However, the right-wing party displayed its divisions on the subject during the reform’s passage through Parliament, between opposition to Macron and a convergence of views on the need for parametric reform. At this stage, the right has no plans to reinitiate this project in the coming years.
The Rassemblement National remains vague about its intentions
The far-right RN opposed raising the legal retirement age to 64. In May 2023, following the adoption of the reform, it even introduced a bill in the Assemblée Nationale to restore the statutory retirement age to 62. Since the start of the campaign, it has changed stances: Jordan Bardella stated on June 11 that reversing this reform would not be a priority if he came to power, deferring the issue to a “later stage.” But on Tuesday, June 18, Bardella said he would introduce a repeal of the reform in September.
Wages
While the number of minimum wage earners has jumped by nearly 50% in two years due to inflation, the cost of living and wage levels are a key issue for the main political parties. There are ideological differences as to the measures that should be adopted.
The Nouveau Front Populaire is in favor of a minimum wage hike
The left proposes raising the minimum wage to €1,600 monthly, raising the index point for civil servants and indexing wages to inflation. Additionally, they are proposing organizing a major social conference on wages, employment and qualifications.
Renaissance prefers a further reduction in contributions
In March, Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire announced that he wanted to raise the amount of money that French workers bring home by shifting the social security contributions paid by employees to Value Added Taxes (VAT).
LR is proposing to increase French wages by reducing social security contributions for employees earning less than three times the minimum wage (i.e. €4,200 net).
The Rassemblement National wants to encourage higher wages
To encourage employers to raise wages, the RN proposes to exempt these increases from employer contributions, up to a limit of 10% and up to three times the minimum wage.
Taxation
In April, the Finance and Economy Ministry announced a significantly higher public deficit than expected, reaching 5.1% of gross domestic product instead of the 4.4% forecast. Seven years after Macron abolished the wealth tax known as ISF and replaced it with a real estate wealth tax, each party is putting forward solutions to address the country’s financial situation, including cutting spending and increasing state tax revenues.
The Nouveau Front Populaire wants to tax the richest
The idea of increasing the contribution of high-income earners to the state budget has won unanimous support on the left. The newly unveiled policy platform on Friday aims to make the income tax more progressive by increasing the number of brackets to 14, compared with five today. The coalition also wants to re-establish a wealth tax “with the addition of a climate component,” and abolish “inefficient” and “unfair” tax loopholes.
Renaissance refuses any tax increases
In early June, Le Maire reaffirmed that “raising taxes was [not] among the range of options” for the government in 2025 as they preferred to lower spending. He confirmed budget cuts of around €10 billion in the next state budget, in addition to the €10 billion in appropriations already canceled in February.
Les Républicains want to lower taxes
LR’s policy platform for the 2024 European elections said that France must “lower production and payroll taxes” for companies, as well as “social security contributions.” In return, they proposed a “€25 billion cut in public spending” and a reduction in the number of civil servants.
The Rassemblement National wants a tax on financial assets
The far-right party wants to replace the real estate wealth tax with a financial wealth tax. Neither a general tax increase nor a new tax on the wealthiest are planned.
Energy prices
Energy prices have risen sharply since the start of the war in Ukraine in February 2022. The announcement of a new gas price hike of 11.7% in July has brought the subject back into focus.
The Nouveau Front Populaire favors a price freeze
The left-wing policy platform proposes canceling the scheduled increase in gas prices on July 1 and freezing energy prices.
Renaissance promises lower electricity prices
After the rise, the fall? Le Maire stated on Tuesday, June 11, that regulated electricity tariffs would fall by 10% to 15% by February 2025 thanks to the government’s energy policy.
Les Républicains divided
This is one of the points of disagreement within the right. In recent months, some LR members have come out in favor of lowering electricity taxes, while others have criticized the government for not raising them enough, as explained in January by L’Opinion.
The Rassemblement National promises a drastic reduction
According to Bardella, setting a French energy price based solely on production in France would lower bills by 30% to 40% for French households. The proposal is deemed unrealistic by some experts.
Employment
One of Macron’s key aims for his second term was achieving full employment, which corresponds to an unemployment rate of around 5%, compared with 7.5% at present. Unemployment insurance has already been reformed, and a further tightening is underway: With employer and employee organizations unable to reach an agreement, the government has taken over.
The Nouveau Front Populaire opposed to the Macron reform
The various parties in the left-wing alliance are firmly opposed to the tightening of unemployment insurance conditions, criticizing it as a “real social war” being waged by the government. They propose canceling the reform if it is implemented.
Renaissance wants to pass a decree between the two rounds
French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal stated on Thursday, June 13, that a decree would be “issued by July 1” – between the two rounds of voting – to implement the unemployment insurance reform. The duration of compensation will be reduced and the conditions of access to compensation significantly tightened. Macron, however, opened the door to further discussions at his press conference on Wednesday.
Les Républicains have no plans to reopen the debate
Olivier Marleix, leader of the LR group in the Assemblée Nationale, condemned the unemployment insurance reform as “smoke and mirrors” designed to plug the public deficit. However, the counter-budget proposed by LR at the end of 2023 included measures similar to those of Renaissance. MPs and senators pointed to repeated reforms, noting that “the last rule change was a year ago.”
The Rassemblement National against the reform
The RN has voiced its opposition in the Assemblée Nationale by voting for a bill that would unravel this new reform of unemployment insurance wanted by the government. The far-right party condemned it as “a real blow to the French people” and deplored the fact that “the main targets are managers, who represent only 5% of unemployment benefit recipients, even though they contribute 45% of UNEDIC [National Professional Union for Employment in Industry and Trade] income.”
Institutions
Are the political deadlocks that led Macron to dissolve the Assemblée Nationale a simple admission of failure for the government or a sign of a deeper institutional crisis? Analysis of the situation varies according to political persuasion.
The Nouveau Front Populaire wants a Sixth Republic
As in 2022, the left is taking up the radical left party La France Insoumise (LFI) proposal to establish a Sixth Republic by convening a “citizens’ constituent assembly.” To revamp the institutions, it is also proposing to repeal Article 49.3 of the Constitution – used to pass laws without a vote in parliament – and introduce a citizens’ initiative referendum (RIC).
A project set aside by Renaissance
In 2017, Macron promised a profound renewal of the political scene, but this theme has mostly since disappeared from his speeches. Although he continues to say he is in favor of introducing proportional representation in the election of MPs, the president has ruled out undertaking a project of revising the constitution, given that he lacks the requisite parliamentary majority.
Les Républicains on a conservative line
LR has historically been reluctant to change the way the Fifth Republic works, as intended by Charles de Gaulle. This theme was absent from the policy platform of their candidate, Pécresse, in 2022. Sénat President Gérard Larcher nevertheless formulated a few proposals in May such as re-establishing the dual mandates and lowering the number of signatures required to trigger a shared-initiative referendum.
The Rassemblement National favors citizens’ initiative referendum and proportional representation
To reinvigorate the political scene, the RN is focused on the introduction of a citizens’ initiative referendum and full proportional representation in parliamentary elections.
War in Ukraine
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 had an impact on the last presidential campaign and continues to divide the political world, including within certain camps.
Nouveau Front Populaire organizations agree to defend “the freedom of the Ukrainian people”
The war in Ukraine has divided the left in recent years, with the Socialists and the Greens showing unwavering support for Ukrainian resistance, while LFI and Communists have defended a “refusal to escalate the war.” In its policy platform, the left-wing coalition eventually agreed to “unwaveringly support the sovereignty and freedom of the Ukrainian people, as well as the integrity of its borders,” notably through “the delivery of the necessary weapons.”
Renaissance for lasting support for Ukraine
Not only does Macron confirm France’s support for Ukraine, promising airplanes, weapons and ammunition, but he now believes it’s no longer taboo to send French instructors to Ukrainian soil to train Ukrainian forces.
Les Républicains want higher financial aid
LR advocates for “massive [financial] support for Ukraine.” The party believes that France is lagging behind its European allies in terms of financial aid, although it does not give a specific amount. On the other hand, the right-wing party is against Ukraine’s membership in the European Union.
The Rassemblement National is evasive
While in recent months Bardella has endeavored to smooth out the discourse of his historically pro-Kremlin party, the RN remains in a tricky position on this subject. This is evidenced by the absence of a statement about the conflict on the party’s website for over six months. On the one hand, Le Pen has said that “no reason can justify” Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. On the other, the far-right leader has criticized “ill-thought-out” sanctions against Moscow and a form of “irresponsible warmongering” by Ukraine’s supporters, including Macron.
Immigration
After pensions, the second political battle during Macron’s second term stemmed from the immigration law. Even though the law was adopted, it continues to be a topic of controversy among the main political groups.
The Nouveau Front Populaire wants to repeal the law
The left opposed the immigration law by taking numerous points of the text to the Constitutional Council, which led to a third of its proposed articles being struck down in January. In its policy platform, the Nouveau Front Populaire aims to “repeal the asylum and immigration laws” and “facilitate access to visas, regularize the situation of workers, students and parents of school-age children, and institute the 10-year residence permit as the main residence permit,” as well as “create a status for climate displaced persons.”
Renaissance wants to control unaccompanied minors
The immigration law is not the last piece of legislation on the subject that Renaissance plans to introduce during the next five years. At his press conference on Wednesday, June 12, Macron expressed his desire to tighten controls on unaccompanied minors, whom he sees as posing “a security problem in several cities.”
Les Républicains want to toughen the law
The right pushed the government to tighten immigration law during the parliamentary procedure, but the Constitutional Council rejected some of those measures. LR then wanted to launch a shared-initiative referendum, which the institution also rejected. The party is maintaining its proposals for tougher conditions of access to social benefits for legal immigrants.
The Rassemblement National in favor of “national preference”
From Jean-Marie Le Pen to Bardella, the far-right party’s policy platform on immigration has barely changed. Its plan still includes measures to dry up supposed “immigration suction pumps,” such as repealing the only health insurance available to undocumented migrants and creating a “national preference.” During its European campaign, the RN also mentioned the introduction of a “double border,” both European and French, a promise difficult to implement in practice.
Translation of an original article published in French on lemonde.fr; the publisher may only be liable for the French version.
Reuse this content
Source link : https://www.lemonde.fr/en/les-decodeurs/article/2024/06/18/french-elections-what-we-know-about-the-policy-platforms_6675101_8.html
Author :
Publish date : 2024-06-18 18:30:11
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.