In a lengthy interview where he answered questions posed by readers of Le Parisien newspaper, French President Emmanuel Macron stated that Marine Le Pen could very well be slated to take power in the next presidential election in 2027 if the French state and society fail to respond to the country’s mounting challenges.
“Marine Le Pen will come to power if we are unable to respond to the challenges of the country and if we introduce a habit of lying or denying reality,” the French leader said during the interview published Sunday, April 23rd—one day before the first anniversary of his reelection.
“We will never beat the Rassemblement National (RN) at the game of the most populist and demagogue,” Macron claimed, instead asserting that victory over Le Pen would be had thanks to “construction sites of reindustrialization, ecology, order, and the fight for our public services.”
“If we manage to win the reindustrialization project, we will get people out of despair, misery, and anger. If we manage to win the project of ecology, order, the fight for our public services, we will have people who will return to the Republican field.”
Macron’s interview with the daily newspaper comes as a part of his ongoing media offensive where he has sought to put the pension reform crisis—which precipitated months of demonstrations, strikes, and civil strife—behind him.
Days ago, on April 17th, President Macron in a televised address spoke directly to the French people for the first time since the adoption of the pension bill, which was forced through without a vote at the National Assembly, saying the reform was necessary to maintain French independence and keep the pension system operating long into the future.
The bill, which according to opinion polls was opposed by two-thirds of the French population, will increase the retirement age in France from 62 to 64 by 2030. Additionally, under the new legislation, French workers will need to work a total of 43 years to earn a full pension at 64. If not, they will have to wait until they turn 67.
Prior to the reform, France had enjoyed a relatively low retirement age compared to other Western European countries, including the likes of Sweden (63), Switzerland (64/65), Belgium (65), Germany (65 years and 11 months), the UK (66), Spain (66 years and 4 months), and the Netherlands (66 years and 10 months).
