March 8 in France, released the book “Macron”. It is dedicated to the unusual married couple, Brigitte and Emmanuel macron. In recent months it has been the subject of hundreds of articles in French and foreign press. No wonder: Emmanuel macron, judging by the polls, the most likely winner of the upcoming April and may elections of the President of France.
For a couple of days before the Makron, the leader of movement “Forward!”, finally unveiled his election program. He answered thus to those who reproached him for political failure and the absence of a specific plan of action if elected President. According to a survey from Sofres — OnePoint on March 5, the Makron in the first round is ready to vote 25 percent of the French (in the first place — the leader of “National front” marine Le Pen with 26 percent in the third françois Fillon 17 percent), and its rating is growing constantly, thanks to, among other things, increased attention from journalists.
Software the provisions set forth by Macron, confirmed his centrist position: the program includes measures on both the left and right wing. Among the first increase in the minimum wage and the wage growth of workers with low incomes, the expansion of services covered by mandatory health insurance, increasing the number of teachers and police officers, investment in agriculture. Among the second — further liberalization of the labor market, abolition of the pension benefits for civil servants, tax cuts for the most wealthy citizens, abolishment of 120 thousand jobs in the public sector, the consistent decline in the budget deficit in line with EU requirements.
Emmanuel macron said during a presentation that his goal is “not to reform, but to transform French society, to help him to truly join the twenty-first century”. However, the part of the program is the extension of the measures already taken under the current President, françois Hollande, including by Makron in his tenure as Minister of Economics (2014-2016).
Heir Hollande, not offering anything particularly new, think of Macron right-wing “Republicans”, also stating that Makron “works to the public, has no holistic vision of the situation, is not a true patriot”. The socialists, in turn, see in Him the representative of the international financial elite, and a defender of the interests of big capital. From the ultra-right “National front” called the former Minister a “puppet of Brussels” and resent the absence in the program of Macron topic of immigration. Finally, all criticism, whether left or right, accuse Him of demagogy, the trends to please the interlocutors and inconsistency.
The number of supporters of Macron and his ratings are growing constantly. Supporters of the young candidate — the audience is very mixed bunch. First, it is a centrist movement of “Modem”, headed by françois Bayrou, who officially supported the Makron. Secondly, it is the defectors from the left flank, unhappy with infighting in the Socialist party, disillusioned with the presidency of Hollande or too left-wing statements of the current presidential candidate of the party — Benoit Amon. These people are closer to the Makron, rather than to Amun, who, according to today’s data, will not be able to break through to the second round (his approval rating is 16 percent). Many socialists prefer at the outset to bet on the more promising candidates, what they see macron.
Finally, to the Macron becomes more and more right-wing politicians and voters “Republicans” who refuse to follow the official party candidate Francois Fillon, mired in a scandal with fictitious employment of his wife Penelope, but stubbornly refuse to withdraw his candidacy. Fillon persists, despite the catastrophic drop in the rankings (17 per cent currently, about 30 percent before the scandal). In a support group of Macron meanwhile, there were many representatives of big business, media barons and major managers, as well as retired and active politicians and prominent public figures — Bernard Kouchner, Daniel Cohn-Bendit, Bernard-Henri-levy, Jacques Attali.
What is common between them? According to the political scientist Laurent Bouvet, “they are all supporters of economic liberalism”. Despite his job in the government of socialists, macron has always been a supporter of liberal policies and defend primarily the interests of the business community. Known for his phrase of 2015 that more young French people should seek to become billionaires — then the Makron she was criticized by many of his colleagues.
In addition, the Makron and his supporters — the undisputed advocates of European integration and minority rights, they are against a sharp tightening of immigration policy and do not consider “multiculturalism” a dirty word. It appeals to many voters to the right-center who do not share the conservatism of Fillon. Among them Aurora Berger, who left the Macron after the defeat in the primaries, “Republicans” Alain Juppe, whose election campaign was in. According to Berger, “for us, no matter right or left macron. Today the main line of division runs between souverainiste and Westerner, between conservatives and liberals.”
For all these disparate supporters of the movement “Forward!” The macron has become a collective, a compromise figure, “new hope for France,” “a man outside the clan”, “the person most able to defeat marine Le Pen in the second round.” That it will come out in the second round, today there is little doubt, as “national front”, as well as the movement of Makron “go Forward!” benefits from crisis, the two main parties — the socialists and “Republicans”. Le Pen and macron positioning themselves as a non-si candidates, supporting the renewal of the political life in France. In contrast to the “natsfronta” movement “Forward!” have emerged recently in 2016. But can we consider 39-year-old Rules new phenomenon of the French political landscape?
Comes from a wealthy family of doctors from the Picardy region, the Makron always was a brilliant student and received his education in the most prestigious educational institutions of the country: the Paris Lycée Henri-IV and the National school of administration (ENA), a real forge of the French political elite. While their first higher education diploma, he received a degree in philosophy at the University of Nanterre. Fans of Macron, calling it “politician-philosopher”, I like to recall that a young graduate was assisted by the French philosopher Paul Ricoeur in the edition of his work “Memory, history, oblivion” (2000). In addition to philosophy, Makron seriously studied music and plays beautifully on the piano.
At the end of the ENA, he was in Financial supervision, where he was spotted by the politician Jean-Pierre Jouet, which put forward brilliant young economist in the Commission for the promotion of economic activities in force when President Sarkozy from 2007 to 2010, and then introduced Him to his old friend françois Hollande. Until in 2012, when Hollande invited Him to take a position in his administration, and then, in 2014, and the government, he had a few years to work as an investment banker in the Bank of Rothschild (Rothschild & Cie), where he had a brilliant career and became a millionaire, gaining the nickname “financial Mozart”. The most profitable deal for him was the merger of the subsidiary Pfizer, with Nestlé, which he oversaw.
Becoming economy Minister in 36 years, macron has continued to engage in mergers and acquisitions of state-owned companies. His foes, as right and left, blaming it on sale at a knockdown price the largest national energy companies Alstom and Technip, combined with the American giants General Electric and FMC. Macron, now referred to as the “Mozart of the elysée”, a long-time special arrangement of the President. But between them are accumulated differences, and in April 2016, an ambitious young Minister, founded the movement “Forward!”, “open like the left and right”.
Media attention to the new candidate is huge and not comparable to the attention to his rivals: according to the statistics presented, in particular, the magazine Marianne, in recent months many media outlets, for example, a channel BFMTV, gave Him more time than its four main competitors combined! This interest is not only and not so much the originality of the policy proposals, as the identity of the young politician.
The Makron has been repeatedly recognized that the program should not stand in the centre of the election campaign. “Politics is style, magic, mystery”, — he said in his interviews. For the emotional intensity of his performances and the enthusiasm of his rallies Macron compare with a preacher, a guru, a Messiah. He these comparisons are not rejected. However, as became clear from the filming of these meetings, the enthusiasm that prevails at them, not spontaneous. It is achieved through the skillful use of political technologies and different marketing strategies. A fan and connoisseur of new communications, Emmanuel macron, has surrounded himself with experts, skillfully using all of these technologies to promote his candidacy. To begin with no coincidence the first letters of the name of the movement “Forward!” in French, “En Marche”, and the initials of his leader.
According to researcher Cecile Alduy, for Him the main thing — the form, not the content. “In fact, his proposal is a set of shared places, be they right-wing or left-wing. It operates on the principle of a startup analyzes the proposal creates a corresponding request, the primary product is “apolitical candidate”, testing it in focus groups, take into account the reaction of consumers in its final version and, in the end, gives a “decidedly new” offer, based on a subtle knowledge of marketing, and not on any fundamentally new qualities.” In the same vein, expressed in the article “Makron — product of the year” published in the journal “Le Puen”Le Point, Elliott Lepers, specialist in new political technologies: “Makron — Messiah 2017 — carries very little of their own proposals. He is looking for content based on demand. The same logic is used in advertising, for example, when creating a new yogurt”.
The macron, a representative of the financial and technocratic elites to rise in the corridors of power, not through traditional parliamentary post, is “a new man in politics”, “the embodiment of political courage,” “modern” and “radical renewal of political life”.
Finally, the creation of the image of the candidate skilfully uses the details of his personal life. The wife of Macron Brigitte, known primarily for the fact that older than her husband of 24 years, appears in the media almost most your wife. Unusual couple (the couple met when Emmanuel was 15, and Brigitte, who worked as a teacher in his school, 39) literally mesmerizing the public. Photos of Macron grandchildren Brigitte on her knees, wife on the beach or at the receptions at the Elysee Palace went around the world. “The important thing is that they are all interested in is my age,” says Brigitte’s book, “Macron”, written by two journalists of the tabloid publications that appeared in print on March 8. However, in addition to the age difference with her husband, Brigitte distinguish subtle intelligence, ambition and an undeniable influence on her spouse.
In another of the fragments of the book, leaked to the press a few days before its release, the authors recall that Brigitte and Emmanuel met in the school theatre, where the young man struck the teacher of French and Latin, his acting talent and charisma. Then ensued between them a novel that — how constantly reminds me — has become a true love story only a few years later. It is interesting that in his student days macron, confident in their acting talents, was a free listener theatre courses, actively participated in the audition and dreamed about writing their laurels. And charisma, and acting skills undoubtedly helped him in the future career.
If, as polls predict, the Makron will come out in the second round with marine Le Pen, there is no doubt that 39-year-old politician will become the new President of the Fifth Republic — in this case vote for him are willing to give very many of those who today loudly criticize him. After all, the idea of “natsfronta” and the victory of his leader still provided the majority of French main political threat to the country. Whether Makron get to the second round, depends on a number of factors, primarily what will be “Republicans”. In case of replacement of françois Fillon on less compromised figure at the Macron may have problems.
