France 'breathing again': 'There is a way and it depends on our collective ability to move forward'
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00:00Elinor Carroa of the Assemble, President Macron's alliance.
00:06Just describe to me how you're feeling tonight, there's a lot of arrows being slung the way
00:10of your president.
00:11Yes, but I think as most French people, I feel extraordinarily relieved tonight because
00:17when you look at how we felt a week ago, thinking that potentially France was going to go into
00:22the far right regime and seeing the results, although they're only projections, I mean
00:27we're breathing again.
00:29Now what I hope, especially listening to Jean-Luc MĂ©lenchon, is that he's not going to steal
00:33the left's victory and that we are going to be able to make that alliance for which the
00:38French people voted for with all the Republican arc which goes from the right to the reasonable
00:45right to the reasonable left.
00:46You know, as most parliamentary democracies do, where you agree on priorities and when
00:52you agree on being responsible, which is what we missed for the past two years, we had a
00:57very irresponsible opposition and this is what led us to the situation we're in now.
01:02Again, we're breathing again, people voted massively, they said they did not want the
01:07National, the Rassemblement National in power and I think that's an extraordinary relief
01:11but we shall see now what happens and also how, for instance, the Socialist Party, who
01:17doubled its score, does not let Jean-Luc MĂ©lenchon steal the victory again as he has done in
01:23the past.
01:24We're listening to the other party leaders and they're talking about President Macron,
01:29gamble not working.
01:30It's showing that other parties are actually now taking the manoeuvre.
01:33I want your opinion because if we listen to the last few weeks, party insiders not sure
01:38within the Relations Party, is he doing the right thing?
01:41The quote was, there's a narrow path to victory.
01:45What did he mean for him or is this the narrow path of the Republican arc?
01:49I think for the country, you know, a country where you have an opposition that is threatening
01:53you every other day of dissolving the government and dissolving the National Assembly, is
01:59a government that is very difficult to put in place and where it's very difficult to
02:03move forward.
02:04So you had the Les RĂ©publicains that said, we're going to come with a motion de censure
02:09in September.
02:10You had a new PES that was composed mainly of, you know, Jean-Luc MĂ©lenchon being the
02:14most vocal voice, although it did not correspond to the vote of the European elections.
02:19Now you see that it's reshuffled.
02:22The Ensemble, the President's Macron Center, was seen as the loser.
02:28It is not.
02:29It comes in second position and it stays pretty strong in a very diverse Assemblée.
02:33So I think we have to also see that.
02:36And right now, what matters is the ability to make compromises.
02:39And I think there's several countries that have shown in the past few days that they
02:43are willing to make compromises, that they did already, to make sure that the Rassemblement
02:48did not go forward.
02:49And now what I'm worried and concerned about is listening to Jean-Luc MĂ©lenchon being
02:54the first leader to take, you know, the stand when his party is actually losing tonight.
03:00And that is something that we should remember, because he's the one who's not winning any
03:03seats in the projections that we're seeing.
03:05Briefly, because I know we have a lot of politicians coming in and out tonight, speaking to a lot.
03:09You're going to find out very soon whether or not you've kept your seat.
03:12Yes, absolutely.
03:13Because, you know, I represent French people living abroad.
03:16And we have to wait until the last bureau closes in the world so that we have all the
03:21results of, in particular, Internet voting.
03:25So I shall know in half an hour.
03:26Is it looking good?
03:27Look, yes.
03:28But, you know, whatever happens, and I will tell you in half an hour, I am relieved that
03:34we don't have a France that is governed by the far right.
03:37And only that is already so important.
03:39And I think as most French people today, I think there is a way.
03:43And the way depends on our ability, our collective ability, wherever we are in this Republican
03:48arc, to move forward, to agree that we disagree on certain things, to choose our priorities,
03:54and to just move forward as most parliamentary regimes do in the world.
03:57So I think it's good news for France.
03:59We're going to learn to do compromise.
04:00But, you know, it was about time.
04:02OK.
04:03I know you've got to go to your party.
04:04Hopefully, we'll speak to you later on.
04:06Thank you.
04:07Thank you for inviting me.