French snap elections: ‘A complete reshuffle of the political landscape’

What we've been seeing over the past few hours, really because it was only Sunday that this dissolution was announced, well is a complete reshuffle of the political landscape here in France. With on the one hand, on the left wing, the creation of what is called now the four popular, the Popular Front, if you will, where in fact all the political left wing forces are coalescing around France unbowed and the Socialist Party that had very good results in this European elections. And on the right, well, as we know, the National Rally got the biggest result when it comes to the EU elections. And there, well, yesterday, the leader of a Republican announced that he would promote an alliance with the National Rally, which put all the left wing, if you like, of this right wing party up in arms, saying that they would never, ever want to have an alliance with the National Rally. Now, what Emmanuel Michael has been doing today in this press conference is clearly saying, right, you know, you have a choice. There is 3 possibilities. Either you go with the extreme left wing or you go with the extreme right wing, or else you come with us because we are a party of government. You've seen what we can do, He said, basically trying to place himself as the safe pair of hands in this new renewed political landscape. And indeed trying to convince also the members of the centrist party, you know, the centre left, centre right, to join him, all those he says who are Democrats and who refuse alliances with extreme wing politicians. Now, in order to do this and to convince the French people as well that they needed to vote at the centre, he did also emphasize obviously the divisions will within these two new blocks and also very clearly addressed the French saying that they would be the losers if they did vote for the National Rally. This is what he had to say. If the National Rally came to power, what would happen to your pensions? They wouldn't know how to finance them, so they'd drop. If the National Front came to power, what would happen to your housing interest rates? They'd skyrocket because the rates would spike. If the National Front came to power, you wouldn't have to ask about public broadcasting because they want to kill it. What would happen to our values, to fellow citizens, to dual nationals, people from diverse backgrounds and multi ethnic neighborhoods? The answer to that is not to each his own. The answer is the Republic and its universalism. That is the question right now. It's not what's going to happen when everything falls apart. No to this defeatist attitude, yes to waking up to standing up for the Republic's values. Our fellow citizens are of the Republic, men and women who are willing. France has always stood for this. And James Andre's still with me. James, look, this election is in just three weeks time. So how is the president now going to convince MPs from the centre left and from the centre right to join him in this sort of centrist coalition? Well, you're right, it's only three weeks away. And that, of course, is a very little time to forge alliances and to devise a common program. But what the president is saying is right. Look, I am the president of France. I'm not going to campaign in this in this in this campaign. I will let Prime Minister Gabriel at a lead my coalition towards these elections. But what I'm saying is right, I I want to be the captain of the ship, if you will. He says right, I'm giving 5 broad stroke directions. I want to see the country go in and the government go in and the parliament go in. And he says right from there on you build on it. You must Co build together something that will speak to all the French people. The president also saying that he had obviously a part of responsibility in what had happened during these EU elections, saying that he could understand. He said that some people of course were angry at what had happened in France. And he said yes, we may have not delivered enough, not quick enough, not explained what we were doing enough. But still, we are the safest bet for the French people and we want the interest of France. This is very much his message saying right to all those who do not want to curl this with extreme parties, well, join me. That's his words, of course. And let's build something that can serve the whole of the French public. So a message very much in rejection of these two new blocks that have been created and a message of opening towards politicians who would like to rally him. Obviously he's hoping and hinting at the fact that some of the members of the Republicans, the center right party or right Democratic Party and on the left might come and join him.