On Friday evening Emmanuel Macron delivered the final New Year's presidential broadcast to the nation of his five-year term of office. Ahead of April's presidential elections – for which Macron has yet to officially declare himself as a candidate – the incumbent gave a rapid overview of what he sees as his achievements in office. Despite the Covid pandemic, President Macron sought to describe a political landscape that embraced both “optimism” and “tolerance” - an assessment, says Ellen Salvi, that stands in stark contrast to the reality of his presidency. Political opponents immediately accused the president of being “out of touch”.
There was yet another update on the Covid pandemic, a “procession” of achievements during his presidency so far, an unattributed quotation from French historian Marc Bloch, and a few clichés worthy of the best traditions of French popular songs. That broadly sums up President Emmanuel Macron's traditional New Year's address to the nation on Friday - the last of his five-year presidency - which was a kind of medley of his previous annual broadcasts.
