With the victory of the New Popular Front in the second round of the legislative elections, Emmanuel Macron could appoint a prime minister from this coalition. Unless the French president prefers to bet on a moderate personality, capable of uniting beyond his camp. Overview of the main favorites to succeed Gabriel Attal.
The day after the second round of the legislative elections, the message is unequivocal for the presidential camp. Deprived of a majority and disowned by a large part of the voters, Emmanuel Macron will have to appoint a new prime minister in the coming days, once the final composition of the new National Assembly is known.
Above all, he will have to deal with a new word for him, “cohabitation”, by appointing a prime minister from a political family other than his own.
Having come out on top in Sunday’s vote, the left is the big winner of this second round of legislative elections and is already claiming to form a government. But with only 182 seats, the NFP is far from the 289 seats needed for an absolute majority.
Emmanuel Macron could therefore be tempted to appoint a political figure (or one from civil society) to Matignon who is better able to unite the country and speak to the greatest number of people. And therefore to look more at the centre of the chessboard.
“In the coming hours and days, there will probably be a lot of discussions. There is no clear favorite today,” believes Julien Tourreille, a doctoral student in political science at the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM).
So here are the options available to President Emmanuel Macron.
Francois Hollande
For Julien Tourreille, the former French president (2012-2017) could be an interesting figure, capable of uniting beyond the left. “One of his great virtues when he was first secretary of the Socialist Party (PS) was to manage to reconcile factions that did not get along,” he explains.
The issue therefore remains to be seen whether the radical left would be able to accept it. Just like certain Macronists, who do not carry it in their hearts.
Jean-Luc Mélenchon
“Impossible,” according to Frédéric Ménard, director of the Department of Political Science at the University of Montreal.
Although he has already made an application, the leader of La France Insoumise (LFI) is far from embodying the personality capable of uniting people beyond his political family.
If he had to choose a prime minister from the ranks of LFI, Emmanuel Macron could instead choose François Ruffin.
Raphael Glucksmann
A favourite personality of left-wing voters, Raphaël Glucksmann has the great advantage of not being a member of any party.
“That’s his great strength,” says Julien Tourreille. His lack of experience could, however, work against him.
Olivier Faure
The current secretary general of the Socialist Party (PS) is often presented as an option for Matignon.
But the latter is not unifying enough, perceived by many voters as a party man. His ability to form agreements with other components is also seen as a limitation.
Gabriel Attal
Although he has already announced that he will resign on Monday morning, Gabriel Attal affirms that he will “assume [ses] functions as long as duty requires.” He could therefore remain in office while agreements are reached and the name of his successor is pulled out of the hat.
Ensemble did better than expected in this second round. Gabriel Attal is now presenting himself as Emmanuel Macron’s successor and, beyond that, as a new incarnation of the center. But the left wants his head and should get it.
A personality from civil society
The hypothesis of a prime minister with a more “technical” profile, who would not come from the political class, is one of the options that could be considered.
Following the Italian model, Emmanuel Macron could consult the main parties and appoint a technocrat to govern.
Except that this option is not viable in the medium or long term and would quickly lead the country towards new elections. This option could however have the merit of moving the party lines.
With Marc-Antoine Franco Rey