France’s ‘President Jupiter’ fires orders from the sky

France’s fossilized labor law and trade unions in the autumn, the president can expect a tough time in the ratings. In a country where state spending accounts for almost 60 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) the young man supposedly sent by providence must be careful not to alienate constituencies whose income and employment are closely attached to the state apparatus.

The media have realized the presidential changes all to well. The candidate who had once loved a good chat has become markedly less media friendly. A limited group of aides control access to the president and set-piece addresses to the press have replaced the online chats of the previous months. Visiting a high school near Limoges, the president reprimanded reporters chasing soundbites, saying that “when I travel on a topic of my choosing, I speak of the topic of my choosing, I won’t answer any newsy questions.”

The president, described as increasingly imperious, has realized that connecting with the public en masse will be more challenging then expected. A product of France’s elite schools, Macron was hitherto unelected and has shown himself to be more comfortable within establishment institutions than visiting the country’s poorer regions. At a recent visit to an auto-parts factory, the president was booed by workers — a far cry from the candidate who had promised to restore hope to France’s stressed millions.

Macron’s En Marche coupled with centrist allies occupy 350 seats in the National Assembly, giving them a substantial majority. How they will perform in the overhaul of France’s labor code will be interesting and shed light as to whether Macron’s movement has the staying power to become an entrenched political force. Opposition figures have viewed the president’s drop in the polls with glee whilst mocking the inexperience of the private-sector novices who now serve in Parliament as Macron’s agents of change. As to whether their political naiveté emboldens them to break with the past or indeed hampers their ability to govern will be a key question in the months ahead.

For the millennials that voted for Macron in droves, economic change is a necessity. En Marche made huge promises to the electorate, who will not be won over with small measures. Seasoned entrepreneur Hicham El Maaroufi Elidrissi captured this sentiment perfectly, saying that “the country can’t be run on good intentions, the government needs to step up and begin implementing the change and major policy shifts that made Macron’s movement popular.”

Zaid M. Belbagi is a political commentator. He also acts as an adviser to private clients between London and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

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