[Analysis] France struggles to adapt to European democratic practices

(B2) For over a year, the French government formed under the presidency of Emmanuel Macron has been playing the balancing act. Trying all the tricks to avoid adopting a democratic European standard

The French temptation to continue as before

Until the 2022 elections, France was a bit of an anomaly with Hungary or Greece. In Europe, few governments have an absolute majority. Everywhere else, it is the principle of a coalition of parties that governs. The European democratic tradition would then have wanted a negotiation to begin to form a government coalition.

The risk of the parliamentary tunnel

Betting that opposites will not be able to combine to bring down the government is risky. It's a bit like entering a long, winding tunnel with your headlights off and your eyes closed, and hoping you don't hit anyone. However, this is the method chosen by the Macron government with the race for individualized support. Hoping to reach a majority by tilting a few individuals in need of ministerial recognition is possible when there is a gap of one or two votes. Not when there are more than 30 votes difference (1).

The reason for compromise

Faced with an absence of a majority in the chamber, there is no real other method than to negotiate a coalition contract to bring either one or more parties into government and thus ensure a majority, or support without participation in the event of a minority government. This is a basic rule of parliamentary democracy. To deviate from this is to risk navigating by sight. What no European government has yet attempted. Often preferring to spend several weeks or even months (as in the Netherlands today) before forming a solid government.

The preferred method: coalition of parties and government contract

L'Germany long ago inaugurated this coalition system which punctuates its political life every four years. As no major party achieves an absolute majority, the one that comes first must deal with one or two other parties. A government contract is drawn up, detailing in detail not only the distribution of positions, but also the reforms to come, sometimes in extreme detail. This is how the grand coalition, bringing together social democrats and Christian democrats, governed three times under Angela Merkel. This is how a new, unprecedented “tricolor” coalition was formed in December 2021 (the Ampel coalition) which governs today, bringing together Greens, Orange (Liberals) and Red (Social Democrats).

En Belgium, forming a coalition is not a choice but an obligatory political mechanism. It is not only a question of obtaining a government majority in the Chamber of Deputies, but also of assuming the legitimacy of the federal state in the South (French-speaking) as well as in the North of the country (Dutch-speaking). Unlike other countries, here, no alliance is planned in advance or excluded. Everything depends on the election and, above all, on Byzantine negotiations which then begin in the “I love you, me neither” mode. The current government, resulting from a four-month negotiation – a record speed – has brought together fewer than seven parties since September 2020. A coalition called Vivaldi, in honor of the composer of the four seasons and the emblems of the parties making it up (blue, green, red and orange).

En Austria, it is the alliance of opposites. The very right-wing Christian Democratic Party ÖVP chose to govern with the Greens. A bit by chance. Both parties came out on top in the elections. At the beginning of 2020, after three months of negotiations, they agreed on a program. A hell of a political pirouette for Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, who had just ended a 16-month marriage to the far-right.

Latest example, the Poland, the Christian liberals of the civic platform, the centrist peasants of the Third Way and the United Left made a pre-coalition agreement to be able to obtain an absolute majority in order to extirpate the conservatives of PiS (law and justice) and the extreme right of power (read: [News] A new Polish government in charge. Tusk the return of the prodigal son).

Second method: minority government

This method of government prevails in Denmark. Coming first in the elections in 2019, Mette Frederiksen's social democratic party only obtained 48 seats out of the 179 in the Folketing, the Danish parliament. Barely 27%. Its leader, however, succeeded in forming her government, composed solely of social democrats. But with the support without participation » around a program negotiated with several left-wing parties – from liberals to socialists or the far left. And it holds! For almost three years.

En Spain, it is the reign of balancing act. In 2020, socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez formed a government with the left of Podemos and the Catalan socialists, following a coalition agreement, providing for social and tax reforms. But, between the three of them, they do not have an absolute majority. To obtain confidence, the socialist negotiates with some regionalist parties, Basque, Catalan, Galician, their support or their abstention. Case by case. Rebelote in 2023, Sumar having replaced Podemos in government; the regionalists remaining in external support.

Finally, in République tchèque, it is a heterogeneous coalition which came to power last November. Together (SPOLU in Czech), which brings together the Eurosceptic conservatives of the ODS and two small Christian Democratic parties, came to an agreement the day after the elections, with another coalition, Mayors and Pirates, formed of the Czech Pirate Party and the Mayors and Independents (STAN), to very Europhile tendency, more liberal and ecological. Exploding. But both have a common goal: to dislodge liberal billionaire Andrej Babiš from power. The agreement was finalized in a few weeks. We'll see if it holds...

(Nicolas Gros-Verheyde)

Long and completed version of an article published in Sud-Ouest in June 2022

1. Defection can also be in both directions and generally stronger in the government camp as time passes and intermediate elections (often harmful to the government) become more frequent.