Why calls for Emmanuel Macron to resign as president of France are misguided

I am amazed by how many pundits in the French media (and even its British counterpart) are calling for Emmanuel Macron to resign from the presidency before his time is up in 2027. 

They want him to fall on his sword because he is, they say, responsible for what they see as the current political crisis. 

He is accused, in particular, of calling an unnecessary election for the legislature out of panic in the hope of gaining a clear majority of MPs who would be in favour of his fiscal policies. 

Instead, the election returned a hung parliament with three blocs vying for power and the Macronists in a minority. 

Since that inconclusive election, Mr Macron has struggled to appoint a competent prime minister who can implement a programme of budget reforms and bring down the national debt. 

Little wonder, say his critics, that Mr Macron is a deeply unpopular president. He is only hanging on in the face of disaster, they say, because he is selfish, narcissistic, arrogant, intransigent and unwilling to see himself as the cause of the country's woes.

Mr Macron, the case against him concludes, is an ineffectual, lame-duck president and the only honourable thing would be to make way for someone who has the backing of the French people.

Read more: politics needs courtesy, not petty point-scoring

It would be reassuring to hear that Mr Macron’s critics have considered the implications of what they are saying. That they have not is perhaps no surprise in an age in which reasoned thought has largely gone out of fashion.

There are several good reasons why Mr Macron should not resign before time. These have nothing to do with whether someone likes or agrees with him.

The first is that technically he has not done anything wrong. He can be accused of misjudgement but that is not a sackable offence. His miscalculations have been political; they have not infringed the constitution.

Secondly, many of the critics have skin in the game. They want a particular someone – either to the left or to the right – to succeed Mr Macron. Their arguments against him are not objective, but prejudiced.

Thirdly, what is the alternative? Who would be a better president? 

Even if there is a suitable president-in-waiting, will he or she be able to assemble a majority? Is the electorate capable of voting for a unifying candidate? 

It is always possible that the next president is worse than this one and met with equal or increased animosity. 

Fourthly, who says that Mr Macron is so unpopular? He won a mandate to govern the last time he stood for election. He has beaten his opponent Marine Le Pen twice in a fair fight, running rings around her in televised debates. 

Between elections popularity is measured by opinion polls, which can be prejudiced or inaccurate; the number of activists who take to the street; and non-presidential elections, that give an ambiguous reading – they may or may not be protest votes. 

Yes, if you talk to people at ground level they may criticise Mr Macron for this or that reason but I never hear friends or acquaintances offering positive solutions.

Fifthly, France should be wary of creating a precedent out of a constitutional shortcut. Maybe next time the witch-hunters will manage to remove a president after only two or three years in post. We could see ever-shortening terms of office in defiance of the constitution. The result will be perpetual instability. 

Finally, we should look at where the anti-Macron hysteria is coming from. Most of it is generated by his opponents, who want him to fall so that they can rise, and from loquacious media commentators who would be out of a job if they praised the president rather than berated him. Savagery attracts eyeballs and earns clicks. There is no reward for making a balanced assessment.

It would be a foolish country that drives its president prematurely to the exit without thinking the matter through calmly and completely.

How do you feel about President Macron? Let us know via letters@connexionfrance.com