Arthur de Laborde, edited by Gauthier Delomez 20:17 pm, March 21, 2023

Emmanuel Macron addresses the French on Wednesday in the newspapers of 13H of TF1 and France 2, shortly after the adoption in pain of the pension reform. A choice carefully considered by the head of state, who will continue to defend his reform yet very contested in the street.

The two newspapers of 13H of TF1 and France 2 should get very good audiences Wednesday. President Emmanuel Macron has indeed chosen this schedule and these two channels to address the French, after a long television abstinence in the middle of a parliamentary debate on the pension reform, and its adoption in pain. For the occasion, the two appointments, provided by Marie-Sophie Lacarrau and Julian Bugier, will be relocated to the Élysée Palace.

>> READ ALSO – Pension reform: how Emmanuel Macron tries to remobilize his troops

Appointments popular with retirees

By opting for the 13H newspapers of the two largest national channels, Emmanuel Macron makes the choice of territories, explains his entourage. The president wants to address the many French who return home for the lunch break and therefore the employees directly concerned by the pension reform, says an adviser.

In fact, when we look at the profile of the viewers, we see that they are mostly retirees. In other words, the head of state wants to reassure his electoral heart. He also explained Tuesday morning to his entourage that he would neither dissolve the National Assembly, nor reshuffle his government, nor call a referendum.

"Fewer laws and more regulations"

During this televised interview, Emmanuel Macron will not back down on the reform, as he said very clearly to his relatives. Some of them, however, made proposals, such as Édouard Philippe. According to information from Europe 1, the former Prime Minister mentioned several possibilities, such as withdrawing the reform. An option ruled out: "We must pacify before learning lessons," said the president, giving two to three weeks to his faithful to work on a solid roadmap.

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In the absence of an absolute majority in the Assembly, the Head of State pleads for a new method of governance with "fewer laws and more regulations", i.e. more decrees. But this strategy is not unanimous in his own camp. "It will inevitably end up in dissolution. We can absolutely no longer govern," says a minister of weight.