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Is Macron on his way to becoming an all-powerful President?

Published

9 years ago

on

By Rashme Sehgal

Marseilles: The French are pleased that the US President Donald Trump will join French President Emmanuel Macron at the Bastille Day celebrations in Paris to commemorate the centenary of the US entering the First World War on July 14.

Political power in France has a new look with Macron, a former investment banker and economy minister, becoming France’s youngest leader since Napoleon. The newly elected Parliament has a fresh, young look about it with 75 per cent of the new MPs who have won the electoral ballot having no political background.

Louis Tari, a financial analyst, pointed out, “For the first time elected deputies (parliamentarians) have come to work for society without carrying any political baggage. Macron has succeeded in breaking the old political structures that have dominated France for decades. He wanted the deputies to reflect the ground reality and in doing so, he has managed to put a more dynamic and younger team in place.”

The average age of the parliamentarians has come down by seven years and is now 48. Another first for this Parliament is that 223 of those elected are women.

Commenting on Macron’s mercurial rise, Yannick Mireur, a political scientist and author specialising in foreign policy who is running the think tank Nexus said, “Macron was a close aide of  Hollande but he resigned in 2014 to set up his own political ‘movement’ En Marche (Let’s Go). Within a month of his resignation, he announced his plans to become President thereby changing the political discourse of the country.

“It is clear that Macron has powerful supporters who have preferred to remain low key. Macron is seen as an outsider who may succeed in breaking an exhausted (political) system.”

Elaborating further, Mireur said, “The most far reaching changes he is expected to implement will be to change the labour laws in France in order to reduce the power of the labour unions. He is also expected to provide greater fiscal stability especially since the earlier socialist (Hollande) government kept changing the tax laws. And most important, Macron is also expected to provide greater tax breaks to French citizens and companies.”

The celebrated songwriter and French journalist Jean Pax Mefret offers a word of caution. “Both the right wing Republicans and the left leaning Socialists have been routed at the polls. Presently, the Republicans have emerged as the main Opposition party with 137 parliamentary seats but already many of their MPs have openly declared that they will support Macron on the key issue of labour reform.”

Mafret went on to state, “The extreme right wing Marine Le Pens party is down to a mere eight seats. With the opposition in complete disarray, power is now centred in Macron’s hands. That has made him extremely powerful and that is not good for democracy.”

Marie Clair who works as a chef in a local restaurant, is also apprehensive about Macron.

“I voted for him because he was young but I still do not know what he is like. We have to wait and watch. Like Napoleon he is 39 and the youngest president France has ever had but whether he will fulfil all his campaign promises is the key question,” said Marie.

Macron’s wife Brigitte Trognex , who was his drama teacher at the school in which the President studied in Amiens is 24 years older than him, but she receives nothing but praise from a cross-section of the women this reporter spoke to.

Said Clair, “His wife is a woman of tremendous courage. She is the quintessential woman. She has made him what he is today.”

Said Angelina, who has specialised in Oriental massage, “For a man to marry a woman who has been his own teacher, and also a mother of three children, is very unusual. But the French, and especially French leaders have a history of leading very complicated love lives.”

Former French President Hollande was living with a woman but this did not stop him from entering into a relationship with Julia Gayet who was 18 years his junior. Sarkozy divorced his wife the day he became President and then went on to marry former model Carla Bruni who was 13 years his junior. Another former President Francois Mitterand had a long relationship with an art historian and even had a daughter from her.

But relationships apart, Macron is also positioning himself as a global player. Macron was publicly critical of Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris climate pact.

He is in favour of a strong Europe and is determined to forge a better relationship with German Chancellor Angela Merkel to achieve this objective.

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Trump rejects Iran’s 7-day peace plan, says deal can come after US polls

US President Donald Trump rejected Iran’s seven-day proposal to end hostilities and indicated that a deal could come after the US midterm elections in November.

Published

2 hours ago

on

September 26, 2026

By

Donald Trump

US President Donald Trump has rejected Iran’s latest proposal aimed at bringing an end to the ongoing conflict, while indicating that a possible agreement could come after the US midterm elections in November.

Iran had proposed a seven-day framework under which hostilities could be brought to an end, the Strait of Hormuz could be reopened and negotiations over its nuclear programme could resume.

Iran’s seven-day proposal

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran had put forward the proposal through intermediaries. Under the plan, the Strait of Hormuz would be reopened by the end of the seventh day if specified conditions were met, while broader nuclear discussions would restart.

The proposal was based largely on an earlier understanding reached between Washington and Tehran, but Iran sought to implement the latest framework much faster. The earlier arrangement had provided a longer period for negotiations.

The Strait of Hormuz is a strategically important waterway for global energy shipments, making its reopening a key element of any effort to ease the wider conflict.

Trump points to US midterm elections

Trump, speaking at the United Nations, showed no indication that he was ready to immediately resume negotiations on the terms proposed by Tehran.

He called for the economic isolation of Iran and said he believed a deal could be reached after the US midterm elections in November. Trump also said Iran was waiting to see how he performed in the midterm elections.

The remarks came as Iranian officials signalled that they remained open to diplomacy and described the UN General Assembly as an opportunity to revive negotiations.

Nuclear talks remain part of Iran proposal

Iran’s latest plan links the easing of hostilities with the resumption of negotiations over its nuclear programme.

The proposal follows the collapse of an earlier US-Iran arrangement. According to reporting on the latest proposal, the new framework is intended to compress the timeline for implementing commitments that had previously been discussed by the two sides.

For now, Trump’s remarks indicate that Washington is not accepting Tehran’s seven-day framework as presented, while Iran continues to put diplomacy and negotiations forward as part of its proposal.

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Iranian President Pezeshkian at UN says Iranians have been victims of US terrorism

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said at the UN General Assembly that Iranians had been victims of US terrorism and insisted that Iran had acted in self-defence.

Published

3 days ago

on

September 23, 2026

By

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian accused the United States of subjecting Iranians to what he described as terrorism while addressing the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday.

Pezeshkian said Iran had defended itself against attacks and rejected the characterisation of the country as a terrorist actor. His remarks came during a rare wartime appearance at the UN as tensions between Iran and the United States remain high.

Pezeshkian accuses US and Israel of attacks

Speaking at the General Assembly, Pezeshkian said Iranian civilians had been targeted by attacks and described the actions against his country as aggression.

“We have only defended ourselves. We are not terrorists,” he said, according to the report.

Pezeshkian also accused the United States and Israel of attacking Iran, while maintaining that Tehran’s response was an act of self-defence.

The Iranian president displayed photographs of former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and more than 150 schoolchildren who, according to his account, were killed during the early days of the conflict.

Iran’s message at the UN

Pezeshkian’s address came against the backdrop of the ongoing conflict between Iran and the United States and heightened tensions in the region.

Iranian officials had indicated ahead of the UN visit that they intended to highlight what Tehran considers attacks against its people and raise concerns over the international response to the conflict.

The Iranian delegation’s visit to New York also comes amid restrictions imposed by the United States on the delegation’s movement and other aspects of its stay, according to reporting ahead of the address.

Pezeshkian says Iran defended itself

Pezeshkian’s central message at the UN was that Iran’s military actions should be viewed as a response to attacks rather than terrorism.

His description of the conflict and the allegations against the United States and Israel represent the Iranian government’s position. They should therefore be attributed to Pezeshkian rather than presented as independently established facts.

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PM Modi’s Canada visit could help wrap trade talks, says Canada PM Mark Carney

Canadian PM Mark Carney said he is looking forward to hosting PM Narendra Modi, with both countries aiming to conclude their ongoing trade negotiations.

Published

3 days ago

on

September 23, 2026

By

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has said he is looking forward to hosting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as India and Canada continue efforts to advance their bilateral relationship and conclude ongoing trade negotiations.

The two countries have been working towards a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), with both sides previously setting a target to conclude the negotiations in 2026.

Carney and Modi have held discussions on strengthening economic ties between India and Canada, including trade and investment. Their engagement has gained momentum following Carney’s visit to India earlier this year.

India-Canada trade talks

India and Canada formally resumed efforts towards a broader trade agreement after a period of strained bilateral ties. The two sides have committed to advancing negotiations on a CEPA covering their economic relationship.

In June, Carney and Modi reviewed progress in bilateral economic cooperation during their meeting on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in France. They expressed satisfaction with the progress in CEPA negotiations and reaffirmed their shared objective of concluding the talks in 2026.

During Carney’s visit to India in March, the two leaders had also agreed to accelerate negotiations on the CEPA and work towards finalising the agreement during 2026.

Modi’s proposed Canada visit

Carney had invited PM Modi to visit Canada in 2026, and the two leaders agreed to remain engaged through diplomatic channels to work towards a mutually convenient date for the visit.

The proposed visit comes as New Delhi and Ottawa seek to build on renewed diplomatic and economic engagement, with trade negotiations remaining a key part of the relationship.

The focus on completing the trade talks comes as both countries look to expand commercial ties and establish a broader economic framework through the proposed CEPA.

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