Back to 2014, when France’s political landscape changed due to European Parliament elections. At that time, Marine Le Pen’s far-right party gained power and their opponents lost. Socialist and conservative parties lost badly. Le Pen’s call for the new national election. But the request was denied.
In July, the National Assembly elections led to a split legislature with three main groups: a divided left-wing coalition, Macron’s centrists, and the far-right. The distribution of key government positions doesn’t match the election results. The far-right has no significant posts, while the far-left gained some roles thanks to far-right support. Despite losing the most seats, Macron’s centrists now hold the largest number of important positions. This uneven distribution raises concerns about France’s political stability and future economic direction.
This is the risky move in French politics. And very few reasons are behind it. It makes sense that 10 million people who voted in favor of the far-right are not important. This situation also became the reason that people lost faith in France’s democracy. At this time, centrists, Socialists, and mainstream conservatives might work in a team but it should not be a permanent solution. It may be possible in future, far-right and far-left being the option remaining for France. If either of these groups gets into power, they might treat their opponents the same way they were treated, by taking away their important roles in government.
This political game could hurt France’s recent progress. As it is not addressing the urgent need to improve France productivity and manage the spendings. In the last ten years, France has made a lot of progress by attracting many businesses and foreign improvements. And many companies have agreed to showcase their interest in the “Choose France” event. The problem of unemployment becoming less and people buying power is also steady and stable. Also France income inequality has not worsened unlike some other OECD countries. Most of the economic signs are positive. But it does not include productivity and public finances.
These important problems were ignored by the election campaigns. The parties add new rules in business that make it harder for business people to choose France for investment and collaboration in Business. Both parties, far-right and far-left, have desired to increase the minimum wage and raise tax on the rich and lower retirement age. But it is also important to know that this wage is already high. So, this idea would threathem the France’s last ten years efforts that engaged many people and made doing business in France easier and created more jobs.
Nowadays, France is not only struggling with the high tax problems. It is also not the main issue. Even though the country tries to make income more equal, people in smaller towns and rural areas often struggle to get good public services.Yann Algan from HEC Paris said people are struggling with high tax issues. The situation has worsened so much that it’s hard for people to find the basic necessity. This is the reason that these people are frustrated with all of these complexities. No matter where they live, getting decent services should be a basic right for everyone.
Despite having some of the highest tax and public spending rates among OECD countries, many people outside major cities face serious challenges. There is a limitation in the access of healthcare. Many people are struggling with the poor transportation services. Also there are many problems with the education system. All of these complexities caused frustration. Due to complexities in the education department, many parents are worried about the future of their little ones.
The middle class feels the strain of high taxes and fears falling down the social ladder. There is a thin divide between the “upper middle class,” who earn more than €4,000 a month, and those who earn less.
So, all of these economic and financial problems can be solved only by changing past policies. First of all it is important to solve the political problem that finalizes the leader who used their strategies to solve the problems. First of all it is important to improve the educational departments.
When it comes to public finances, France needs to tighten its belt, especially on social spending, which is currently 32% of GDP. Politically, France should move beyond a single centrist party after the 2025 budget is settled. To offer real alternatives to extreme views, we need a rejuvenated center-left and center-right.
