“The coalition is like a marriage contract”

You come from a country known for its mastery of consensus. What do you think of the French situation?

This is unprecedented in your country, where we are used to major right-left clashes. Recently, a Franco-German law professor told me that there were very few states in Europe that did not impose the need to find consensus. It is interesting to see you now forced to do so.

That’s to say ?

In my opinion, the current situation can change the way the political system works. France has been going through a crisis for years and I am surprised to see this issue rarely discussed. Emmanuel Macron has been reluctant to appoint a Prime Minister quickly for fear that the new government that would result, without a majority, would be overthrown by the deputies. In Germany, there is a so-called “constructive” motion of censure: if the opposition wants to bring down the government, it must first agree to form a new team before taking action. The coalition is like a marriage contract. The parties represent voters with different lines, but they are obliged to find agreements. Voters can see whether they are behaving responsibly or not.

Why do you think our country has so much difficulty accepting compromise?

There is this fear of appearing less “pure” in the eyes of one’s electorate when one governs with other parties. This is not entirely false. In Germany, the three political parties within the current federal government obtain very low results in the polls. Citizens do not always perceive the interest in reaching an agreement. In the eyes of the French political parties, accepting a compromise three years before the next presidential election would therefore present a risk.

Does this long period of political transition seem to you to pose a democratic problem?

It is difficult to answer this question without knowing the outcome of this period of instability. But at the European level, there is nothing unusual in seeing political negotiations take time, and this does not appear undemocratic.