French President Francois Hollande has been quick to point fingers at his former protégé Emmanuel Macron for his first year in power, with apparent criticism of the young leader amid growing dissent and protests.
Hollande, who served as president from 2012 to 2017, oversaw the emergence of Macron as a prominent political figure, giving him his first role in government before Macron resigned from his post as Economy Minister to launch his campaign for the presidency.
However, since taking office in May 2017, Macron’s approval ratings have slumped due to a series of unpopular decisions and government reforms.
Hollande has now lashed out at the young president, pointing to a number of errors he believes Macron has committed during his first year in office.
Here we look at the errors Hollande believes Macron has made, and the implications they may have on the prospects of his presidency.
- Lack of Focus
The first major criticism Hollande has is that Macron has lacked focus in his first year in office, which the former president believes has led to a number of missed opportunities and lack of real progress on the many issues facing France.
Since taking office, Macron’s agenda has been broad and varied, often jumping from one issue to the next.
Hollande believes this lack of focus has caused confusion for the French people and led to Macron’s government being seen as being reactive, rather than proactive.
- Underestimation of Protests
According to Hollande, Macron also made a major miscalculation in his decision to push ahead with reforms to curb public spending and cut taxes for businesses.
His reforms quickly sparked protests, with the Yellow Vests movement occupying major cities and roads, causing disruption and unrest.
Hollande believes Macron didn’t take the protests seriously enough, or attempt to seriously address the issues that led to them in the first place.
- Weak Leadership
The former president has also commented on Macron’s leadership style, saying it lacks the strength and clarity of his predecessors.
He believes Macron has put too much trust in a small inner circle of advisors and has made decisions without properly consulting the wider public and experts.
Hollande believes this lack of open dialogue and weak leadership has contributed to a feeling of disconnect between the government and the electorate, which has seen Macron’s approval ratings plummet.
- Lack of Political Skill
Another point Hollande has made is that Macron has been too quick to dismiss the political skill and experience of his predecessors, and too slow to adapt to the changing political landscape in France.
He believes there may have been too much reliance on his youthful image as he attempted to push through his reforms and policies, rather than engaging with the various representatives of the people.
Hollande believes this has further angered the people and weakened Macron’s ability to make effective decisions on important issues.
Implications
The potential implications of Macron’s errors so far could be far reaching.
It is clear that his efforts to push ahead with reforms, curbs on public spending and reduction of taxes in a bid to modernize and reform the French economy are yet to be fully realized, leaving the French electorate feeling dissatisfied.
This could have knock-on effects to Macron’s ability to make progress on other issues such as immigration, unemployment and security.
It is clear that Macron’s government could be seen as lacking strength, clarity and focus and should he fail to rectify these issues, his chances for reelection and longer-term legacy could significantly be undermined.
It is clear that Francois Hollande believes his former protégé Emmanuel Macron has made a number of mistakes in his first year in office.
The former president has accused Macron of a lack of focus and openness to the public, underestimating the strength of the Yellow Vests protests, flawed leadership and a lack of political skill.
The potential implications of these errors could be far reaching, and Macron will need to address them and regain the public’s trust if he is to have a chance of achieving reelection and his desired legacy.