It's all in the art of scriptwriting. Anne-Elisabeth Lemoine, the presenter of the news show C à Vous on France 5, made an effort on December 20 to unravel the mystery behind the "meeting with the nation" that is meant to be happening in early 2024, which Emmanuel Macron told Le Monde about on December 8. But her attempts were unsuccessful. The French president, smiling confidently, replied, "If I say it's going to happen in January, I'm not going to talk about it in December!" He needs to settle the crisis that came out of the vote on the immigration bill. It's a matter of waiting and find out what his new direction will be. According to a representative from the Elysee, "A five-year presidential term must follow a certain rhythm."
After being weakened by a relative majority in June 2022, Macron's government encountered two pinch-points in 2023. It narrowly escaped censure from the Assemblée Nationale by just nine votes on the pension reform. The initial reading of the immigration bill was then voted down by the Assemblée Nationale. The Sénat, which is largely controlled by right-wing politicians, played a critical role in passing these two major reforms.
It's unknown what Macron plans on doing during the rest of his time in office. With the exception of enshrining the right to abortion in the Constitution, next year's agenda lacks any major projects. The only notable items are a project for decentralization that has been entrusted to MP Eric Woerth and a constantly postponed proposal for an end-of-life bill. Other than these, there is no structural project on the agenda for the coming year, while purchasing power, housing, health and education are still major concerns for French people. As Jacques Attali, a former advisor to François Mitterrand, observed fatalistically, "Macron is governing by the wind."
When Yaël Braun-Pivet, the president of the Assemblée Nationale, asked him about the parliamentary agenda for 2024 at the Elysée Palace in November, Macron dismissed the question with a wave of his hand, saying, "We'll see after Christmas!" According to recent polls, Macron is now seen as showing inaction and lack of direction. "Due to a lack of clarity, we're navigating by following what people want. Sometimes intelligently, but without any obvious position," said Jean-Louis Bourlanges, a centrist MoDem MP in La Tribune Dimanche, on December 24. The managing director of French polling and market research company IFOP, Frédéric Dabi, pointed out that, "For the first time, the word 'weathervane' appeared in connection with him."
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