Éric Zemmour, leader of France’s Réconquête Party, sharply criticized Marine Le Pen and her National Rally (RN) for voting against Michel Barnier’s appointment as prime minister.
In an interview with BFMTV on December 16, Zemmour claimed the RN made a grave error, opening the door for the more left-leaning François Bayrou to take the role. “The RN has shot itself in the foot,” he declared, expressing both anger and concern over the outcome.
Zemmour explained that after Barnier’s government was toppled, President Emmanuel Macron quickly selected Bayrou, a figure he views as more aligned with the Left than his predecessor. Zemmour went further, stating that Bayrou had essentially paved the way for Macron’s rise, claiming, “François Bayrou is Emmanuel Macron before Emmanuel Macron.” He pointed out that Bayrou’s political efforts, dating back to the 1990s, had aimed at uniting the centre-left and centre-right around a shared European agenda.
Quoting the late Philippe Séguin, Zemmour argued, “The Right and the Left are two retailers with the same wholesaler, Europe.” Zemmour believes that both Bayrou and Macron are focused on consolidating the centre, further distancing themselves from the needs and frustrations of ordinary French citizens.
Zemmour also expressed dismay over the government’s inaction in the wake of serious crimes, such as the murders of two young people by migrants. “It’s as if France doesn’t have billions of debt, as if the [2022] murder of Lola never happened, or the [2023] murder of Thomas at Crépol [Drôme],” he said, lamenting the ongoing political paralysis.
He contended that France had reverted to a political system resembling the Fourth Republic, marked by weak leadership and chronic instability. “Governments are no longer dealing with the existential problems of the French,” Zemmour argued, criticizing politicians who, in his view, are more concerned with their own careers than the welfare of the nation. He concluded, “It is this political circus that disgusts the French.”
