Meloni-Macron have not always liked each other. But now it’s a political brawl. From abortion to the balance in Europe, the French president goes on the attack: ‘It is unfortunate that the word abortion is missing from the final declaration of the G7. Different sensitivities. But I respect the choice of the Italian people…’. As for the European Championships, ‘Melons stronger? The balance hasn’t changed much,’ says the resident of the Elysée.
The Prime Minister’s resentful reaction: ‘I believe it is profoundly wrong, in difficult times like these, to campaign using a precious forum like the G7’.
‘We love each other’, but it’s not true
Meloni who from the stage of the luxurious hotel estate in Puglia praises the “compactness and unity of the ‘greats’ on various issues, from Ukraine to the Middle East”. And he recommends ‘patriotic pride’ to reporters: “We’re making a great impression.” But to spoil the party, Macron calls his own press conference with dozens of reporters from all over the world in which he defends his decision to go to early voting. And he reveals the clash that has been going on all week, first between the Sherpas and then between the leaders, over abortion. «I’m sorry that that word is not in the G7 final document. You know the position of France which has included the right to abortion in the Constitution. It’s not the same sensitivity that exists in your country.” A polite way to tell Italy, which is hosting the G7, that its government is far behind on rights, and a harsh political blow to the hostess.
Exchange of rudeness waiting for worse
The Italian presidency then denounces that ‘revealing the clash over abortion’ (there was a clash) «was incorrect, an electoral exploitation». But before the dinner with Mattarella at the Swabian castle in Brindisi, the prime minister’s direct reply is even more surprising. «It is profoundly wrong, in difficult times like these, to campaign using a precious forum like the G7». Personal attack towards Macron. «The controversy over the presence or absence of the word abortion in the conclusions is specious. The conclusions of Borgo Egnazia recall those of Hiroshima, in which we already approved last year the need to guarantee that abortion is safe and legal.”
Distractions around little
And the Meloni-Macron case overshadows other much more important issues on the agenda, such as the hesitant support for US mediation on Gaza and the request, shared by all but denied by Israel, for a PNA presence in the Strip in the dream of a political solution two states. But these are disappointing mediations. While the president of the EU Commission von der Leyen attempts a personal relaunch and announces 250 billion dollars for Africa but – as political commentators familiar with the EU note – she too appears to have shown a certain coldness towards Meloni. To those who asked her if her relationship with the Italian prime minister was still healthy, she replied stiffly: “I work well with all the G7 leaders.” Luckily, Pope Francis arrives to bring, if not exactly serenity, at least greater grace.
But which France will we soon have to deal with?
«The five crazy days of French politics», headlines the Post. After the European elections, everything happened: parliament was dissolved, and from election to election, new alliances were created, some leaders were expelled from their parties, and it’s not over yet. All in a hurry. The first round for the renewal of the National Assembly already on June 30th, and second round on July 7th. Macron’s announcement immediately triggered comments and negotiations in view of the re-elections.
The ‘Popular Front’ is born
On Monday evening, the parties of the French left agreed to stand united in the elections and form a Popular Front, an alternative to both Emmanuel Macron’s centrist party and the far right. The Popular Front will be made up of the Communist Party, the ecologist party Europe Écologie-Les Verts, Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s La France Insoumise, Place Publique, a recently formed party founded by Raphaël Glucksmann, and the Socialist Party (the Place Publique list -Socialist Party obtained an excellent result in the European elections reaching almost 14 percent). All together these parties announced unique candidates in each constituency.
Shattered Gaullists and greedy right-wingers
On Tuesday Eric Ciotti, president of the centre-right party ‘The Republicans’ (Gaullists), announced his intention to reach an electoral agreement with Le Pan’s Rassemblement National, freezing everyone. The problem is that Ciotti had not consulted with the rest of the management, and as a result a serious internal crisis arose. And on Wednesday the party assembly voted unanimously to expel Ciotti, who however reiterated that he still considers himself the president of the Republicans, with appeals to the judiciary. But the new leadership excludes him from the candidature together with Christelle D’Intorni, who in turn favors the alliance with the far right. And Ciotti invents a personal party, to fragment the little that remains of the old glorious Gaullism.
The difficult Le Pen family comes and goes
Marine Le Pen indicates the current president Jordan Bardella as a candidate for prime minister and tries to heal the fractures at home. With Marion Maréchal, his niece and former member of the same party, who in the European elections was the leader of ‘Reconquête!’, the far-right party of the commentator Eric Zemmour. For a few hours an agreement between Reconquête! and the party of Le Pen and Bardella was considered probable, but then Maréchal herself made it known that the Rassemblement National had changed its mind, deciding not to proceed with the alliance. But Maréchal also said that in the legislative elections she will support the alliance between RN and Ciotti and for this reason she was expelled from Reconquête!.
Macron is president anyway, while the streets claim
Emmanuel Macron defined as “absurd” the possibility of resigning from the office of president of France in the event that the legislative elections confirmed the result of the European elections and spoke of the need to create a broad center block against the two extremisms represented, according to him, from RN and La France Insoumise. Meanwhile, every day since Sunday evening, thousands of people have been demonstrating in Paris and many other French cities against the increase in support of the far right.
Probable and difficult ‘cohabitation’
If the next elections to renew the National Assembly reflect the excellent result of the far right in the European elections, the result would be a president and head of government from different parties. It is a situation that has already occurred in the past: it is the so-called “cohabitation”, a situation in which the president usually has great difficulty in carrying out his political program.
