Two-thirds of the people of France would support the end of the Fifth Republic, as the government of President Emmanuel Macron continues to fail to restore social order in the country.
While the streets of France have descended into scenes similar to those seen in violent revolutions not witnessed in supposedly stable Western European countries for some time, the French public is apparently prepared to back a political revolution of their own, with a majority supporting the abolition of the republic that has governed the country since 1958, the fifth such republic since the violent revolution which abolished the Bourbon Monarchy in 1792.
The Fifth Republic, ushered in by Charles de Gaulle, is the second-longest lasting republic in France since the Third Republic, which was formed following the fall of Emperor Napoleon III in 1870. Yet, despite its relative longevity, increasing political instability and a growing sense of division between the public and political elites in Paris have apparently soured the people on the Fifth Republic.
According to a survey conducted by Ifop and Fiducial found that 67 per cent of the public would support the formation of a Sixth Republic with a new constitution based upon a parliamentary system and proportional representation, compared to just 33 per cent who would oppose the fundamentally revolutionary move.
FRANCE – JANUARY 01: Le 28 Juillet; la Liberte guidant le peuple. July 28th 1830; Liberty guides the people. Oil on canvas, 260 x 325 cm. R.F. 129. (Photo by Imagno/Getty Images) [Le 28 Juillet; la Liberte guidant le peuple. Gemaelde. um 1830]
The entrenched powers in Paris have pointed to the political instability that can come with proportional representation, as was the case during the Fourth Republic of France between 1946 and 1958, during which time there were a staggering 20 different governments in just three legislative terms.
It could be argued that the current system has led to more political instability — particularly over the past decade — in which the public has repeatedly felt compelled to take to the streets in order to have any meaningful impact on government policy.
In some instances, street actions have been successful, such as the Yellow Vest protesters who forced the Macron government in 2018 to abandon planned hikes to the fuel tax.
However, more recently, months of protests and riots throughout France failed to force the government to back down from the rise in the pension age. Yet, what does seem to be the case is that there is a growing sense of political alienation among the middle and working-class people in France, in which political fights must be waged on the streets rather than with the electoral system.
A move to proportional representation would likely see an increase in power for figures such as leftist leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon as well as former populist presidential candidate Marine Le Pen. Perhaps it is unsurprising then, that both the so-called far-left and far-right of French politics both align in supporting such a measure.
Le Pen has argued for a split proportional system under which 66 per cent of lawmakers would be elected based upon a pure popular vote, while the remaining third would be awarded to the party victor to prevent political instability. The populist firebrand has said that such a system would allow a “fair representation of the sensitivities that are expressed in the country.”
Implementing a new system of government may seem like a far-off prospect with Emmanuel Macron’s second presidential term officially set to run until 2027, however, it is by no means guaranteed that the ‘Jupiterian’ president will finish out his term, let alone last through what appears set to be a tumultuous summer.
Back in April, President Macron begged the public to give his government 100 days to implement reforms and regain the trust of the nation following weeks of protests and riots throughout the country in response to the cost of living crisis and his unpopular pension reforms, which were seen as a slap in the face of a struggling working class.
Though the labour union-led protests have somewhat subsided — for the time being — they have been replaced by a more destructive form of rioting, with racial tensions boiling over in the country following the police killing of an Algerian teenager.
The tinderbox that is ethnic relations in France burst into literal flames just hours after the killing and so far has seen over 1,000 buildings set on fire, 5,600 vehicles destroyed, and over 3,300 people — mostly teenagers — arrested since the riots began last week. Radical rioters even attempted a direct assassination against a mayor of a French suburb, injuring his wife and child as they fled for their lives.
In 2021, a letter signed by 20 former French generals, including the former Commandant of the French Foreign Legion Christian Piquemal, warned that multiculturalism and increased radicalisation against the French state among migrant communities could lead to a civil war.
“Today, some talk about racialism, indigenism, and decolonial theories. But through these terms, it is a race war that these hateful and fanatical partisans want. They despise our country, its traditions, its culture, and want to see it dissolve by ripping off its past and history,” the letter said.
The Storming of the Bastille on 14 July 1789, circa 1793. Found in the collection of Musée Carnavalet, Paris. Artist Thévenin, Charles (1764-1838). (Photo by Fine Art Images/Heritage Images via Getty Images)
It remains to be seen how long the riots over the death of the Algerian teen will last, yet, they have seemingly doomed Macron’s hopes of restoring order within his 100-day timeframe, which is set to expire this month, ironically on the anniversary of the Storming the Bastille, one of the key moments of the original French Revolution in 1789.
Perhaps France is fated to remain in a state of perpetual revolution and will continue to be bound by the prophecy of French political philosopher Jacques Mallet du Pan who warned in 1793 that “like Saturn, the Revolution devours its children.”