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Analysis: France: a constitutional crisis in the making

France: a constitutional crisis in the making

BBC Radio 4 - Analysis, France: a constitutional crisis in the making

Could Macron's centrist dominance lead France towards a constitutional crisis?

There was unrest across France when President Macron forced through pension reforms this year. But could his centrist dominance lead to greater political turmoil in the future?

The USA, the UK and France, which have led the democratic world, are all suffering problems with their constitutions. But the problem is most acute in France, where President Macron has lost his parliamentary majority, and forced his pension reforms through by decree. But worse is to come; Macron can only serve as President until 2027 and will leave a vacuum at the heart of French politics when he steps down. And unlike Charles de Gaulle, he doesn’t seem likely to leave an enduring movement or an obvious successor. He hoovered up centrist support when he swept to power, and his main rivals now are either far-left or far-right. They both are populists, anti-NATO and pro-Putin. Edward Stourton explores if France is heading towards a constitutional crisis and asks what political turmoil in our nearest neighbour might mean.

Presenter: Edward Stourton
Producer: Jonathan IAnson
Editor: Clare Fordham

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