French President Emmanuel Macron rejected the resignation of his prime minister on Monday, asking him to deal with current affairs a day after legislative elections that put the left at the helm of the country’s political forces, but without an absolute majority.
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French President Emmanuel Macron rejected the resignation of his prime minister on Monday, asking him to deal with current affairs a day after legislative elections that put the left at the helm of the country’s political forces, but without an absolute majority.
Gabriel Attal submitted his resignation, but the head of state said he wanted to “ensure the stability of the country”, according to the Elysee, as Paris hosts the Olympic Games in less than three weeks.
AFP
After a surprise legislative election in which the rise of the far-right was clearly controlled, France is hoping for a parliamentary majority and put together a personality to lead the government.
A headache majority (289 representatives) when the New Popular Front (NFP, left, 190 to 195 seats), or the presidential camp (at least 160), or the National Rally and its allies (right, 143) alone cannot achieve the absolute goal.
Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire warned of a “financial crisis” and the risk of “economic collapse”. But the Paris stock market responded sluggishly. The CAC 40 index opened down 0.49% before returning to the positive after hours.
The Left has started big maneuvers. Socialist Party leader Olivier Fauré declared that “within the week we must present a candidacy” for Matignon by consensus or a referendum.
Marine Tondillier, leader of environmentalists, for his part, assessed that the head of state “must call today” to submit a name to the NFP.
The reality is that the Left Alliance, La France insoumise (LFI), hastily formed the day after the dissolution of the National Assembly by Emmanuel Macron, unites opposing forces on many issues between the extreme left of socialists, communists and environmentalists.
The Melenchon file
For weeks, the LFI has crystallized tensions, particularly over its charismatic and provocative leader, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who is considered a foil even in his own camp.
On Sunday, Clémentine Audain (LFI) called on left-wing representatives to meet on Monday in a “massive assembly” to propose a prime minister who is not former Socialist president-elect François Hollande, or Jean-Luc Mélenchon.
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But LFI manager Mathilde Panot assessed on Monday that the latter, 72, was “not completely disqualified”, arguing that she had “led the left to victory” in the 2022 presidential election by collecting 22% of the vote.
The CGT, a union close to the LFI, asked the president to “respect the choice of the ballot boxes” and “call for the formation of a new government”. The CFDT (Moderate) said for its part that it was “determined to listen to the voice of workers” in future policies.
At the same time, debates are growing within the outgoing presidential majority, which has become a second national power at the cost of resilience that no one has attributed to after the first round. “The terrain has not been cleared yet,” said Mr. said François Peyrou, a centrist leader aligned with Macron.
A Macronist deputy from Paris insisted that “finding a coalition with a relative majority” without RN or LFI would “take several weeks”.
Moscow “without illusions”
As for the RN, it has made unprecedented progress but is ending up far from the relative majority promised by opinion polls. “Our victory is postponed,” promised its leader Marine Le Pen, with the 2027 presidential election in her sights.
Its leaders keep a low profile, refusing to accept that the majority of French people refuse to see access to business. Jordan Bartella, who would have been prime minister if he had won, “accepted” “part of the responsibility” for the disappointing results of the second round.
“We always make mistakes, and I made a few,” the MEP explained.
Abroad, the French soap opera was widely followed and the prime ministers of Poland and Spain rejoiced at the defeat of the far right in one of the EU’s pillars. The German government expressed “some relief”.
As for the Kremlin, known to be close to the RN, it indicated that it had no “hope” or “illusion” of progress in its relations with Paris.
Emmanuel Macron, clearly weakened by a situation of his own making, will attend a NATO summit in Washington on Wednesday. It was his first post-election visit abroad amid heightened concern over a potential return to power for Donald Trump in the United States amid the war in Ukraine.
