Jean-Michel Macron, 74, confided in an interview with the regional dailies of the Ebra press group that “the National Assembly had become ungovernable” according to his son, Emmanuel Macron. The President of the Republic was considering dissolution well before the European elections, as explained by his father, a former professor of neurology at the University of Picardy who still lives in Amiens, Emmanuel Macron’s home town

When did Emmanuel Macron decide to dissolve the National Assembly? This question hung in the air for a long time after the Head of State’s surprise announcement, which took even his closest aides by surprise. In an exclusive interview with L’Est Républicain, Le Dauphiné Libéré and Les Dernières Nouvelles d’Alsace, Jean-Michel Macron shares some clarifications. “His decision to dissolve did not come as a result of the European elections. He had already spoken to me about it two months earlier”, he reveals.

Worried that the Rassemblement National might come to power, Jean-Michel Macron nevertheless believes that “it is better for France to experience this for two years rather than five. If the RN shows in two years that it is perfectly incapable of governing, we can hope that it will not go any further”. However, this strategy has never been confirmed by Emmanuel Macron himself.

Jean-Michel Macron, drawing up an assessment of his son’s actions, said: “I don’t think he has made any big mistakes, perhaps some blunders in the way he announced things. There aren’t many politicians who would have been able to get out of a crisis like the ‘gilets jaunes'”.

He also expresses a certain admiration for François Ruffin, candidate in the 1st constituency of the Somme. “He’s a good MP. He has a fairly open mind, even if he is sometimes excessive and provocative, but there are worse people than him,” he observes. As for a possible cohabitation between Ruffin and his son, Jean-Michel Macron concludes with a touch of humour: “Two people from Amiens in power, that would be fun, but I’m not at that point”.