Baverez – France, from crisis to reconstruction?

Göran Persson, the social democratic prime minister who successfully reformed the Swedish model in the 1990s, insisted that“we must never lose the chance of a great crisis”. Since the legislative elections, France has entered into a major political storm, which adds to its economic, financial and social difficulties. She may see her stall suddenly accelerate or embark on the road to recovery.

The political configuration emerging from the 2022 legislative elections is unprecedented. General de Gaulle in 1958 and François Mitterrand in 1988 were faced with relative majorities. But the legislative elections had not been referendums on their way of exercising power. And their political base remained broad and stable…