On Sunday, French President Emmanuel Macron expressed regret for not doing more to convince the nation to support his controversial pension reform and issued a warning about the rise of the far-right leader Marine Le Pen.
The 45-year-old warned that the anti-immigration Le Pen might win the next presidential elections in 2027, joining other French political figures in making the same statement to Le Parisien.
She is seen as having gained the most political clout from the unrest in France that has been brought on by Macron’s decision to increase the retirement age. This decision has resulted in three months of strikes and demonstrations, as well as concerns for the stability of French democracy.
If we are unable to address the difficulties facing the nation and if we develop a habit of lying or rejecting reality, Marine Le Pen will come to power, Macron warned the newspaper.
After invoking a contentious constitutional provision to get the pensions reform through the lower house of parliament without a vote, he has come under fire from all sides.
According to surveys, two-thirds of French oppose raising the retirement age from 62 to 64, and it did not seem to have a majority in parliament until Macron’s administration used article 49.3 of the constitution to force it through.
Since the beginning of the year, Macron has maintained a low profile, allowing Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne to serve as the reform’s public face.
Macron said, “Perhaps the mistake was not being sufficiently present to give a substance to the reform and carry it myself,” adding that he still had “confidence” in Borne, whose position is perceived as being in jeopardy.
After approving the bill earlier this month, Macron traveled to eastern and southern France last week to meet people, where he was booed and heckled incessantly.
Throughout the week, angry protesters chased him and his ministers while banging pots and pans—a time-honored but increasingly popular French protest tactic.