Political scientist Sheri Berman warns that France faces a democratic crisis characterized by a fading political center, the rise of extremes, and a constitutional system that did not anticipate a presidential runoff between fringe candidates.
Structural Democratic Decay Across Western Democracies
France’s current political gridlock mirrors broader institutional strains visible throughout the Western world, though the French case has reached a uniquely advanced stage. According to Berman, democratic dissatisfaction across Western nations stems from rising public discontent paired with the apparent inability or unwillingness of traditional parties to address underlying economic and structural problems.
What sets France apart from other established democracies, Berman noted, is both the nature of its economic grievances and how citizens express their dissatisfaction. Public discontent translates into protest waves more frequently in France than elsewhere in Europe or the United States, often accompanied by a level of violence and destruction not typically seen in other democracies.
Compounding these social frictions are acute economic anxieties, including concerns regarding the increase of debt and an exceptionally contentious pension system. Without well-functioning traditional political parties to build consensus, tackling these complex fiscal challenges becomes extraordinarily difficult.
Why Sweden Remains the Benchmark for Pension Reform
To understand the depth of France’s legislative paralysis, Berman pointed to Sweden as a comparative model. Sweden successfully overhauled its pension system in the 1990s by accounting for rising life expectancy and forging a comprehensive legislative compromise across five distinct political parties.
By contrast, French mainstream governing parties have largely vanished from the political landscape, leaving a vacuum filled by ideological extremes on both the left and right. Both major fringe formations have publicly rejected raising the age of retirement. Berman called this stance economically untenable, trapping political actors between broken electoral promises and unsustainable fiscal obligations.
The Institutional Vulnerability of the Fifth Republic
As poll numbers point toward a potential presidential runoff featuring two candidates from the political extremes, the institutions of the Fifth Republic face a stress test. Berman noted that the system “n’avait pas anticipé pareil scénario” (had not anticipated such a scenario).
Berman observed that the system was not designed for this. While the presidency remains a powerful executive office, the outcome depends on the institutional situation.
Immigration Realities and the Center-Ground Dilemma
Addressing public anxiety over immigration without adopting the rhetoric of the political extremes requires a dual approach. Berman argued that Western nations have experienced historically high levels of immigration, making it legitimate to acknowledge that societies require adjustment periods during economic downturns, which necessitates firm enforcement against illegal entry. This concerns both people who enter the territory without authorization and those who are already there but no longer have the right to stay.
Simultaneously, mainstream platforms must unequivocally assert that individuals who live here, contribute to society, and possess a passport are full citizens regardless of skin color, religion, or origin. Failure by moderate parties on both the left and right to articulate this balanced position leaves a vacuum exploited by the extreme right’s exclusionary policies and the extreme left’s unsustainable open-border stances.
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