In the media
28.06.2022

In op-ed for Le Monde, Cornelia Woll and Yann Wernert reflect on coalition-building in France

The experts on Franco-German relations on compromise and the way forward after French parliamentary election.

In an op-ed for French newspaper Le Monde on 27 June 2022, Hertie School President Cornelia Woll and Jacques Delors Centre Policy Fellow Yann Wernert share their thoughts on coalition-building in the newly formed Assemblée Nationale, after Emmanuel Macron's centrist alliance lost its absolute majority in the 2022 French parliamentary election.

While French policymakers are used to having clear majorities, building trust between parties, forming coalitions and finding compromise are common practices in German politics – and in most European countries. "The results of the French parliamentary elections actually closely resemble proportional representation," note Woll and Wernert. "This is a healthy development that should be welcomed." Using Germany as a comparison, the political scientists explain that forging stable coalitions is a long-term process that involves all branches of government.

Read the full article available here (in French).

More about our experts

  • Cornelia Woll, President and Professor of International Political Economy
  • Yann Wernert, Policy Fellow, Jacques Delors Centre