A year after surprising the French by calling them to the polls, the head of state might do it again. Indeed, he does not rule out renewing this exercise. An admission of failure as much as a political wake-up call.
He does not rule it out. A year after the dissolution of the National Assembly, on June 9, 2024, Emmanuel Macron revisited this decision. On Monday evening, from Nice, he discussed how this action altered the political balance. However, it did not produce the expected clarifying effect. "My wish is that there will be no other dissolution," he stated. Before quickly adding: "My habit is not to deprive myself of a constitutional power."
This double talk illustrates the political disarray of a president caught between displayed caution and a reminder of his institutional legitimacy. On one hand, he is weakened by a relative majority. On the other hand, he is bolstered by the prerogatives of the Fifth Republic. Behind what might seem like a simple clarification, a silent power struggle is at play. In reality, this power struggle is with political parties. These parties are accused by the head of state of blocking public action.
A partial admission in the form of a warning
The dissolution of 2024 did not "clarify things," admits Emmanuel Macron. It was also not "understood" by the French. This double lucid acknowledgment of the maneuver’s failure does not erase the presidential logic. Indeed, it was not just about regaining control. The goal was also to provoke a democratic shock. It was a sort of unveiling of the political landscape. In this sense, the head of state persists: he stands by it.
But the subtext of this speech lies elsewhere. By stating he does not want another dissolution, Emmanuel Macron establishes a principle of deterrence. Yet, he keeps it in his arsenal. The dissolution becomes a suspended threat, a lever of discipline addressed to the opposition as well as to his own weakened majority. This strategy, already employed in June 2024, is now an integral part of his institutional toolkit.
The president in the arena, alone against all
This presidential stance, both elevated and tense, fits into a revisited Gaullist tradition. Emmanuel Macron is confronted with partisan fragmentation and the incapacity of parliamentary groups. Consequently, he positions himself as the guarantor of stability and the national tempo. By denouncing the "immobility" of political formations, and not the government, he pits all forces against each other. Those who refuse the spirit of coalition or shared initiative are particularly targeted by his criticisms.
It is also a way to promote a vertical reading of power. The president remains the engine of action. Even in a so-called parliamentary Republic, this vision maintains the central role of the president in governance. In doing so, he maintains a presidential course. He suggests that the current political deadlock results less from his choices. It is rather due to collective irresponsibility.
The international scene as a counterpoint to national paralysis
The scene chosen for this declaration — a UN conference on oceans — is not insignificant. It allows Emmanuel Macron to once again don the attire of the globe-trotting president. He is a bearer of great global causes. This keeps him away from internal disputes. By displaying his consistency on climate and ocean defense, he reaffirms a continuity of action. Where domestic politics seem mired, this position underscores his constant commitment.
But another silence has imposed itself: that of Brigitte Macron. Long seen as a discreet but stabilizing pillar of the presidential image, her noticeable absence during the most tense episodes of the dissolution has fueled questions about the personal retreat of the presidential couple.
An intact but weakened power
Ultimately, this declaration crystallizes the ambivalence of Macron’s power as 2027 approaches. Far from announcing a withdrawal or refocusing, it reaffirms a permanent capacity for institutional intervention. This capacity can at any moment disrupt the game. But this implicit recourse to Article 12 of the Constitution, already used and contested, also testifies to a certain strategic isolation.
If Emmanuel Macron remains the master of the clocks, his institutional clock now ticks alone, in a fragmented landscape. The dissolution as an ultimate lever becomes a revealer of weakness as much as an instrument of strength. The presidency, far from being immobilized, has retreated into a posture of alert, perpetually on guard. It is ready to strike — but at what democratic cost?