Famous French Economist: The Idea of Governing Countries with 'Reasonable' Parties is a Dangerous Illusion

Thomas Piketty, the renowned French economist, in response to recent political developments in France and the United States, stated that the idea of governing a country with so-called 'reasonable' parties is a dangerous illusion for democracies, and that democratic systems require clear and decisive changes to function properly. Piketty, who gained global fame with his book 'Capital in the Twenty-First Century', addressed the recent political crisis in France and the selection of a centrist Prime Minister in a note in Le Monde. Without directly addressing Emmanuel Macron, the centrist President of France, he wrote: 'It is not by inventing a new central coalition that France will emerge from the current political crisis.' Thomas Piketty is the head of the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales in France and also a professor at the Paris School of Economics. François Bayrou has been appointed as the new Prime Minister of France. Following the unprecedented collapse of the government in France, which has not occurred in over six decades, leftist parties particularly called for the selection of a new Prime Minister from the left wing of France. However, Macron, facing pressure from the far-right party, chose a centrist figure and his ally to create balance in the French parliament, which is divided into three factions: left, center, and right. In his note, Piketty called for moving away from the tripartite division of the political arena in France and the emergence of a new bipolarity in the political life of the country. He wrote: 'Let me be clear: the idea that the country should be governed by bringing together all so-called 'reasonable' parties, from the center-left to the center-right, from the Socialist Party (considered center-left) to the Republicans (center-right), excluding 'extremists' on the left and right, is a dangerous illusion that will only lead to new disappointments and strengthen the discussed extremisms.' In explaining the reasons for his opinion, he wrote: 'First, because this coalition of reasonable individuals resembles a coalition of the most privileged, and we will certainly not emerge from the democratic crisis by sidelining the working classes from our government. The next reason is that electoral democracy requires clear and decisive changes to function properly.' Piketty added: 'The bipolarity of left and right, provided that its content is quickly renewed in the face of global transformations, has the virtue of allowing clear and decisive changes. Two coalitions with opposing but coherent views based on different socio-economic interests alternately take power, and this is how voters can form their opinions, adjust their votes, and trust the democratic system itself.' The author of 'Capital in the Twenty-First Century' wrote: 'This virtuous model enabled the consolidation of democracy throughout the twentieth century, and if we want to avoid democratic disintegration, we must move towards a new left-right bipolarity today.' He also wrote about the Democratic Party in the United States: 'Democrats, after abandoning any redistributive ambitions [of wealth], have become the party of the most educated and then the party of the wealthiest individuals over the past decades.' Regarding the victory of the Republican candidate in the recent U.S. presidential election, Piketty added: 'In the United States, Republicans enjoy strong support in the business world, but by breaking the beliefs of free trade and liberal globalization associated with Democrats, they managed to attract the people's votes with minimal cost. Time will tell whether a new shift is possible or not.'