Macron rejects left-wing alliance leadership, as crisis continues
French President Emmanuel Macron has firmly stated he will not support a government led by the left-wing New Popular Front (NFP) alliance, despite its success in securing the most seats in last month’s legislative election. Macron emphasized that France requires institutional stability and argued that the left-wing coalition would struggle to pass a confidence vote in parliament.
In a provocative move, the NFP, which has proposed the relatively unknown civil servant Lucie Castets as its candidate for prime minister, responded by calling for street protests and demanding Macron’s impeachment. Macron, whose centrist Ensemble alliance was pushed to second place in the election, announced that he would begin fresh consultations with party leaders on Tuesday and called on the left to collaborate with other political factions.
The election results were inconclusive, with no single group winning a majority: the NFP secured over 190 seats, Macron’s Ensemble alliance claimed 160, and the far-right National Rally (RN) won 140. Since the elections, a caretaker government has been in charge, including during the Paris Olympics, a situation that has incited further frustration from the NFP.
Macron has been in discussions about forming a new government and stated that these talks would continue. “My responsibility is to ensure the country is neither blocked nor weakened,” he asserted on Monday. He also pointed out that the Socialist Party, the Greens, and the Communists have yet to offer proposals for cooperation with other political groups, emphasizing that it was now their turn to take initiative. Notably, Macron did not mention the hard-left France Unbowed (LFI) movement, a major component of the NFP, in his call for cooperation.
The omission prompted a sharp response from the LFI, with national coordinator Manuel Bompard condemning Macron’s actions as an “unacceptable anti-democratic coup.” Meanwhile, Communist leader Fabien Roussel warned on BFM TV that Macron’s stance could provoke a “serious crisis in our country,” and Green leader Marine Tondelier highlighted on social media that three-quarters of the French populace desire a “political break with Macronism.”
The leftist coalition has previously stated it would not participate in future consultations unless the candidacy of Castets, a 37-year-old economist who is unelected, is on the table—a prospect seen as unlikely by many political analysts. Both Ensemble and RN have vowed to oppose any NFP candidate.
After discussions with Macron on Monday, RN leaders Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella described the NFP as a “danger” to France. Other names being circulated for potential leadership include former Socialist interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve and Xavier Bertrand, a regional leader from the center-right Republicans.
Credit: BBC
