Are French women and men tired of politics? With a boycott of 26.31%, the question arises in France. As evidence, the end of two rounds of debate between Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen was dedicated to the institutions.

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“Instead of saying that this is the end of the Fifth Republic, we should try to return to the blueprint of the Fifth Republic (Founded in 1958 by General de Gaulle, editor’s note) is to say that a very intelligent regime that combines stability and genuine democratic vitality with the balance of powers between Parliament and the President”, explains David Díazz, political essayist and teacher of Science Po Paris.

full powers to the president

According to him, this balance was “slightly broken” in the early 2000s with the introduction of a five-year term and the reversal of the political calendar. Indeed, legislative elections were traditionally held in March, that is, before the presidential election.

“Assembly elections have become only an adjunct to presidential elections. As you have a fragmentation of political life, the basis of legitimacy is inevitably weakened. The elected president gets only 20% or 25% of the vote in the first and finds By the ‘magic’ of this reversal of the calendar itself, in a way, the reservoir of all power”, analyzes David Jazz.

Legislative elections have become adjuncts only to presidential elections.

The political essayist considers that one of the most “serious flaws of the transition” of the Fifth Republic, “is that everything crystallizes around a “charismatic figure” such as Jean-Luc Mélenchon, Emmanuel Macron or Marine Le. Penn: “It creates unconditional opposition, insurmountable barriers between different political spheres,” he noted.

a swiss model

In order to reconcile millions of French men and women with his political regime, David Jazz believes it will return to a seven-year term to be “a figure that embodies the gathering” and that he should allow to work on those which require time like ‘environment’.

According to him, we must “reconcile with the long term”. It would also be necessary to “oxygenate” parliament by introducing a “strong dose” of proportional representation to the National Assembly, “which better represents the diversity of political sensibility”.

To support his remarks, he cited the example of Switzerland or Germany, which have “contract or coalition” governments. “We need to re-learn the culture of compromise”, he underlines.

Interview by Frederick Mamas/Vajo