President Emmanuel Macron is packing France's most powerful institutions with loyalists before leaving office next year, a strategy critics describe as an attempt to weatherproof the country against a potential far-right presidency. In recent months, Macron has appointed close allies to lead the Banque de France, the national auditing authority, and the Constitutional Council — positions with multiyear terms that will extend well beyond his tenure.

The appointments become politically charged as Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella of the National Rally lead all rivals in opinion polls for next year's presidential election. Macron's chief of staff, Emmanuel Moulin, was proposed last week to head the central bank, while Richard Ferrand — one of Macron's earliest supporters — already leads the Constitutional Council. Constitutional scholar Benjamin Morel noted these institutions "can largely limit the scope of certain political decisions."

The National Rally has accused Macron of seeking to "lock down our institutions" to extend his influence. While analysts disagree on whether these moves will prove politically decisive, the appointments ensure Macron loyalists control France's most powerful independent bodies through at least 2032, when he could potentially return as a candidate.