International News

PARIS, (APP/AFP) – Reform-minded French
Economy Minister Emmanuel Macron has set up his own political movement saying he wants to find “new ideas” for France in a move that will fuel speculation over the former banker’s presidential ambitions.
Macron, 38, announced the creation of “En Marche” (“On the Move”) in
a carefully choreographed appearance Wednesday in front of 1,500 people in his home town of Amiens in northern France.
“I’ve taken my time, I’ve thought about it, I’ve consulted and I’ve
decided that we are going to create a new political movement, one that will be neither on the right or the left,” said Macron, often dubbed the “rock star” of French politics.
He insisted the 2017 presidential election — just 13 months away —
was “not my priority today”, but he pointedly did not throw his support behind Socialist President Francois Hollande, who is aiming for re-election despite abysmal approval ratings.
“Whoever it is in 2017, if we do not clearly set out a vision for the
country, if there is not an open debate, then he or she will not succeed,” he said.
Macron portrayed the new movement as a think-tank that would listen
to ideas from other parties of the right and left — providing they held
“republican” ideals, a label often used to exclude the far-right National Front (FN).