Macron May Give Up Reelection Bid... "Has Not Yet Decided Whether to Run" (Comprehensive)

French President Emmanuel Macron [Photo by AP]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suhwan] French President Emmanuel Macron has stated that he has not yet decided whether to run in next year's presidential election.

On the 3rd (local time), President Macron made this remark to the press during his visit to Martel in the Lot department of southwestern France, AFP reported.

When asked by reporters if he plans to run in the next presidential election, he replied, "It is too early to answer now," adding, "I will carry out the duties assigned to me until the end."

President Macron also said, "I will have to make several choices in the future, some of which will be difficult decisions," and added, "Those decisions are necessary to make the last term meaningful."

He went on to say, "I will not be able to spend this summer leisurely."

In an interview with reporters last December, President Macron also mentioned that he might have to make a difficult decision that would make running in the next presidential election impossible.

In the 2017 presidential election, he won with a nearly double-score margin against Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right National Rally, who was his opponent at the time, after gaining high approval ratings.

Since the beginning of his term, President Macron declared his ambition to implement reforms in various sectors, but faced setbacks due to public opposition to tax system reforms and pension system reforms, as well as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Earlier, in 2018, President Macron announced a significant increase in fuel taxes, which sparked public backlash and led to the so-called "Yellow Vest" protests that spread nationwide as large-scale demonstrations.

During the protests, citizens referred to President Macron as "a president only for the rich," criticizing the wealth gap in France. This criticism arose from Macron's policy of cutting taxes for large corporations while raising fuel taxes, thereby increasing the tax burden on ordinary citizens.

Additionally, at the end of 2019, President Macron's push for pension system reform triggered nationwide strikes amid intense public opposition. The reform plan proposed by the Macron government aimed to replace the 42 different retirement pension systems based on occupation and profession with a single national pension system.

Earlier in March, Xavier Bertrand, chairman of the Hauts-de-France regional council from the right-wing camp, declared his candidacy. He ranks third in support among next presidential candidates, following Marine Le Pen and President Macron.

According to a poll released last month, in a runoff election between two candidates, the support gap between President Macron and Marine Le Pen remains at about 8%. However, if the Hauts-de-France chairman faces Marine Le Pen, the gap widens to 20%, showing the chairman's overwhelming lead.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.