La République En Marche! (LREM)
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| La République En Marche! (LREM) | |
|---|---|
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| Name | La République En Marche! |
| Native name | La République En Marche! |
| Abbreviation | LREM |
| Founded | 6 April 2016 |
| Founder | Emmanuel Macron |
| Headquarters | Paris |
| Position | Centrist |
| European | Renew Europe |
| Colours | Blue, Gold |
La République En Marche! (LREM) La République En Marche! was founded in 2016 as a political movement centered on the political rise of Emmanuel Macron and rapid electoral advances in France, linking figures from diverse backgrounds such as Édouard Philippe, Manuel Valls, François Bayrou, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, Nicolas Sarkozy, and François Hollande during debates over realignment. The movement's 2017 campaign drew comparisons to other reshaping efforts like En Marche (movement), Five Star Movement, Alt-right, La République En Marche! (LREM)-adjacent comparisons notwithstanding, and catalyzed shifts across institutions including the National Assembly (France), Senate (France), Élysée Palace, and municipal councils.
History
La République En Marche! emerged in April 2016 from Emmanuel Macron's prior roles at Banque Rothschild, Ministry of Economy and Finance (France), and engagements with think tanks such as Institut Montaigne and networks around François Bayrou, Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet, Alain Juppé, Marine Le Pen, Jean-Pierre Raffarin, and Arnaud Montebourg. During the 2016–2017 presidential cycle, LREM faced rivals including Les Républicains, Parti Socialiste (France), La France Insoumise, and Rassemblement National while recruiting figures from Union pour un mouvement populaire and Europe Ecology – The Greens. Following the 2017 legislative elections, LREM formed parliamentary groups with allies from Mouvement démocrate, influenced committees such as Committee on Finance (France), and reshaped appointments at the Conseil d'État and Constitutional Council. Subsequent cycles saw tensions with municipal actors like Anne Hidalgo and national actors such as Jean-Luc Mélenchon and coalition adjustments ahead of European Parliament elections.
Ideology and Platform
LREM's platform has been characterized as centrist, liberal, pro-European, and reformist, aligning programmatically with groups like Renew Europe and policy streams from Ordoliberalism, Social liberalism, and elements of Third Way. The movement advocates positions resonant with figures such as Angela Merkel, Justin Trudeau, Tony Blair, Matteo Renzi, and institutional frameworks like European Union treaties, Treaty of Lisbon, and Schengen Agreement. Its economic proposals intersect with tax reforms associated with Taxe d'habitation debates, labor reforms akin to the El Khomri law, and regulatory changes touching French labour law, while social stances engage stakeholders including Syndicat national des journalistes, UNICEF, and NGOs tied to United Nations agendas.
Organization and Leadership
LREM's structure has combined a central executive with local committees, national secretariats, and parliamentary groups, bringing together personalities such as Emmanuel Macron (founder), Edouard Philippe (former Prime Minister), Gérard Collomb, Bruno Le Maire, Stéphane Séjourné, Marielle de Sarnez, and activists from networks linked to Sciences Po, École nationale d'administration, École Polytechnique, and private sector alumni from BNP Paribas and Société Générale. Internal organs have included membership registers, digital platforms comparable to those used by Podemos, internal critics parallel to En Marche dissidents and interactions with trade unions like CFDT and CGT. Leadership transitions have been influenced by appointments to cabinets, resignations, and by-elections involving municipal figures such as Franck Riester and Nathalie Loiseau.
Electoral Performance
LREM achieved a historic victory in the 2017 presidential and legislative cycles, securing the presidency for Emmanuel Macron and majorities in the 15th National Assembly of the French Fifth Republic, outperforming stalwarts like Les Républicains and Parti Socialiste (France). In the 2019 European Parliament election, LREM ran on a list led by Nathalie Loiseau within Renew Europe and competed with lists from Rassemblement National and La France Insoumise. Later municipal and regional contests showed attrition with gains by Renaissance-aligned dissidents, setbacks vis-à-vis Socialist Party (France) incumbents, and competition from local coalitions including Centre droit formations.
Policy Positions and Legislation
LREM-backed legislation included labor reform measures referencing the Code du travail (France), corporate tax adjustments affecting firms on the CAC 40, and initiatives on digital regulation paralleling debates in the European Commission and European Parliament. Legislative priorities encompassed education reforms touching Ministry of National Education (France), immigration measures interacting with rulings from the Conseil d'État, and security bills debated alongside institutions such as Ministry of the Interior (France) and the Council of Europe. The movement advanced policies on climate and energy that engaged agencies like Agence de l'environnement et de la maîtrise de l'énergie and commitments under the Paris Agreement.
Controversies and Criticism
LREM faced criticism over perceived centrism drift, ethics questions linked to staff appointments scrutinized by the Haute Autorité pour la Transparence de la Vie Publique, and conflicts over parliamentary conduct in the National Assembly (France). Opponents such as Marine Le Pen, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, and François Fillon accused the movement of elitism tied to networks including ENA and private banking affiliations. Policy disputes sparked protests involving actors like Confédération Générale du Travail, Union Nationale des Étudiants de France, and street movements akin to the Gilets Jaunes, while judicial inquiries and media investigations from outlets like Le Monde, Le Figaro, and Libération intensified scrutiny.
International Relations and Affiliations
Internationally, LREM cultivated ties with centrist and liberal formations including Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party, Renew Europe, Liberal International, and counterpart parties such as Democratic Party (Italy), Ciudadanos, Democrats (Croatia), Free Democratic Party, and Liberal Democrats (UK). Its foreign policy orientation engaged forums like the United Nations General Assembly, NATO, G7 Summit, G20 Summit, and bilateral diplomacy with states such as Germany, United States, China, and United Kingdom while navigating tensions over trade disputes, sanctions regimes tied to Russia, and multilateral agreements like World Trade Organization frameworks.