Emmanuel Macron, hailed as the 'Napoleon of the 21st century', became president of France at the age of 39, after a rapid ascent from a junior ministry. With a knack for seduction and memorable speeches, the former banker positioned himself as a reformer unfettered by ideology, facing significant challenges such as pension reform. However, eight years later, their legacy crumbles amid waning popularity and mounting political pressure. Isolated and confronted with internal dissent, Macron struggles to maintain his leadership as they face the latent threat of Marine Le Pen, who reaches 40% in the polls.
In light of this situation, Macron has called urgent meetings with the political parties in a desperate attempt to secure his government. The need to appoint a new prime minister and to approve a budget are immediate challenges amid a difficult fiscal backdrop, with public debt at 114% of GDP. The socialists' demands to postpone pension reform could erode their legacy even further, reducing their achievements to a handful of transcendent speeches. In an analogy with Franz Reichelt, the president must seize the critical moment to rectify the course of his government and avert a political collapse, while Le Pen's shadow continues to stalk.
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