Why did Georges Clemenceau oppose President Patrice MacMahon during the constitutional crisis of 1877?

During the constitutional crisis of 1877, known as le seize mai, Georges Clemenceau opposed President Patrice MacMahon because the president attempted to make the government responsible to himself rather than to the National Assembly.1

Clemenceau, a leader of the Radical bloc, viewed MacMahon’s actions—which included the dismissal of Premier Jules Simon and the subsequent dissolution of the chamber—as an antirepublican policy. By resisting these maneuvers, Clemenceau played a leading role in defending the principle of parliamentary control over the executive branch, a struggle that ultimately helped shape the political character of the Third Republic.21