Overview
- Fillon says only a fresh mandate can resolve the impasse, urging Emmanuel Macron to either dissolve the National Assembly or put his own mandate back to voters.
- He adds that in Macron’s place he would resign to avoid “losing 18 months,” presenting resignation as the quickest path to clarity.
- He accuses Macron of worsening public finances, claiming France has added about €1 billion in debt per working day and has seen institutions and international standing erode.
- He expresses regret for backing Macron in 2017, saying he never imagined the country would be in its current state eight years later.
- He rebukes the Republicans’ parliamentary strategy as compromise at any cost, reiterating his preferred reforms such as raising the retirement age to 65, cutting public-sector posts, tightening migration, raising VAT, and lowering production taxes.