The left says it is ready to govern in France after creating a surprise on Sunday by coming out on top in crucial legislative elections, but without an absolute majority: it is beginning difficult negotiations within itself to appoint a prime minister.
“We must be able to present a candidate” for the post of prime minister within the week, Olivier Faure, the leader of the Socialist Party, a member of the left-wing alliance, the New Popular Front (NFP), said on Franceinfo radio on Monday. The alliance was created in haste after the surprise announcement of the dissolution of the National Assembly in the wake of the European elections on June 9.
Outgoing Prime Minister Gabriel Attal handed in his resignation on Monday to President Emmanuel Macron, who asked him to stay “for the time being, in order to ensure the stability of the country.” He said Sunday evening that he was ready to remain at Matignon “as long as duty requires” in the context of the Olympic Games.
The left is demanding to form the government, even if it is about a hundred seats short of an absolute majority. Discussions between its various components began on Sunday evening and will continue in the coming days.
“Things are progressing very well for the moment,” assured Manuel Bompard, coordinator of La France Insoumise (LFI, radical left), one of the components of the NFP, regarding the negotiations.
None of the parties running for the legislative elections can achieve an absolute majority of 289 deputies in the new National Assembly on their own. The NFP won around 190 seats, the presidential camp around 160 and the extreme right more than 140 seats.
Within the NFP, LFI is the party with the most elected representatives (around 75 deputies). A weight to be put into perspective: together, the socialists, communists and environmentalists will be more numerous. Not to mention that some “rebels” have broken with the LFI leadership.
On Sunday evening, all the parties in the left-wing alliance repeated: the future government’s plan must be based on the NFP programme.
With in their sights the repeal of the pension reform, the immigration law and the unemployment insurance reform, but also measures on purchasing power, such as a minimum wage of 1600 euros net, assure the socialists.
The increase in the minimum wage will be done “by decree”, promised the leader of LFI, Jean-Luc Mélenchon.
No hand extended to the Macronists then. The President of the Republic has not spoken out on the formation of a new government or on the ambitions of the left.
“Expanding our majority”
Who could be designated Prime Minister? The first pitfall on which the NFP risks being torn apart is that of incarnation. LFI thinks that it is up to the majority group to propose a name. The others are leaning towards a collective decision by the alliance’s deputies, Mr. Mélenchon having become too divisive a figure even within a part of the left.
For Manuel Bompard, the choice can be made “by consensus” and not necessarily by a vote within the left-wing NFP coalition.
Cevipof researcher Martial Foucault remains doubtful about the left’s ability to govern: “it remains a minority group, a coalition of parties which comes first with less than 200 seats.”
“It will take a long time to see clearly about a coalition government,” adds the political scientist.
It would be “a homogeneous minority government”, which would work “in partnership with civil society to have a broader base”, which would exercise regulatory power and submit texts to the Assembly, which it would discuss with the other groups “at its own risk”, argues a socialist executive.
These discussions will take place “on proposals from the New Popular Front, which are in the majority in public opinion”, maintains the national secretary of the Socialist Party, Pierre Jouvet, inviting the left-wing Macronists to “position themselves”.
The same analysis from environmentalist Yannick Jadot: “It is up to us to build majorities around our project.”
Faced with rumors of a coalition between the presidential camp and the most moderate fringe of the left, a rebellious executive is annoyed: “The Macronists are trying to steal the victory from us and form a coalition.”