Despite calls for a “clear course”the uncertainty persists. France still does not have a new government, a little less than a week after the second round of the legislative elections, which took place on Sunday, July 7. While the 577 new deputies have returned to the National Assembly, the New Popular Front, which came out on top in the vote without obtaining an absolute majority, has still not managed to agree on the name of a candidate for the post of Prime Minister.
Emmanuel Macron seemed to turn his back on the idea of giving the NFP a chance to form a government on its own. And the far right, but also part of the right and the presidential camp, are in any case opposed to a government that would include La France Insoumise, without however emerging a clear alternative majority. Franceinfo summarizes the twists and turns of this unprecedented week.
Negotiations drag on at the New Popular Front
The left-wing parties, who had only a few days to build their alliance before the first round of the early legislative elections, had postponed the choice of their possible Prime Minister. After their surprise victory, winning 180 seats but not an absolute majority, the time has come to choose. The left-wing bloc has given itself “until the end of the week” to get his violins in tune, promised the president of the LFI group Mathilde Panot, Thursday on franceinfo.
The discussions began on Monday, in a location “neutral” and far from journalists, as reported by Public Sénat. The First Secretary of the Socialist Party, Olivier Faure, put himself forward as a candidate on Tuesday. For its part, La France Insoumise considered that it was up to it to lead the left, after having obtained the largest contingent of deputies within the alliance. In addition to the name of the potential Prime Minister, the parties must also agree on the strategy to adopt. Here again, divergences quickly became apparent. The Insoumis defended a strict application of the NFP program, while some Socialists proposed seeking support among the Macronists.
“We are moving forward in a very constructive atmosphere, it is serious and everyone wants to succeed“, wanted to reassure the leader of the environmentalists, Marine Tondellier, on Friday on BFMTV. According to information from franceinfo, the leadership of the PS must meet on Saturday in national council to decide the question.
But even if the coalition manages to reach an agreement, there is no guarantee that Emmanuel Macron will appoint an NFP representative to Matignon. Concerned, several unions have thrown their forces into the battle. In support of a left-wing government, the CGT-Cheminots union has called for a demonstration in front of the National Assembly on July 18, the opening day of the parliamentary session.
Emmanuel Macron passes the buck to MPs and calls for a coalition
Defeated at the polls, Emmanuel Macron took several days to make his position known. This time, there was no televised intervention announcing a dissolution of the Assembly as on the evening of the European elections. The head of state addressed the French people in a letter, published Wednesday in the regional press and by France Bleu. Emmanuel Macron says he wants “give the political forces some time to build these compromises with serenity and respect for everyone”.
At the end of the second round, “Only the Republican forces represent an absolute majority”also writes the tenant of the Elysée, calling for his wishes, against the extreme right, a broad coalition of parties from which he seems to exclude La France insoumise. He also postpones the appointment of a new Prime Minister, after having refused the resignation of Gabriel Attal. A position similar to that of his former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Stéphane Séjourné. Tuesday, the secretary general of Renaissance had reached out to “all members of the Republican arc – from environmentalists to Republicans”in a tribune at World.
The president’s letter immediately provoked an outcry, particularly on the left. “Emmanuel Macron decided on this dissolution alone. Now let him draw the consequences of his result.“, reacted the national secretary of the Ecologists-EELV, Marine Tondelier. Mathilde Panot denounced “a presidential coup that denies the result of the ballot boxes”The presidential letter also appeared “irresponsible” in the eyes of the president of the National Rally, Jordan Bardella, while Marine Le Pen denounced a “unworthy circus”On the right, Bruno Retailleau, president of the LR group in the Senate, dismissed the hypothesis of seeing the right enter into a grand coalition: “Everything sets us against the left.”
The right and part of Renaissance refuse to see LFI in government
Echoing the letter from the head of state, several elected officials from the former presidential majority have promised to overthrow any government that includes ministers from LFI. In such a scenario, “a motion of censure” would be immediately filed, warned the Minister of Solidarity, Aurore Bergé, on franceinfo Friday. An opinion shared by several of her colleagues such as the Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, and the Prime Minister, Gabriel Attal. The same on the right. “Any government that includes ministers from La France Insoumise will be subject to a vote of censure on our part.”announced the new leader of the LR deputies, Laurent Wauquiez, on Wednesday. And this, even if Renaissance and LR elected officials benefited from the support of left-wing voters to be elected against RN candidates on Sunday.
But is there an alternative majority without Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s party? The socialists have refused to leave their allies on the left to form a unity government. Some, like former Prime Minister Edouard Philippe, on TF1 Tuesday, proposed to “to bring together LR and Renaissance, a bloc which allows for a relative majority”An option rejected by LR elected officials, but also by some Macronists.
The National Rally is looking for its strategy
Stunned by their third place on Sunday, while they seemed to be in a strong position after the first round, the RN leaders began the week by settling their internal scores. The party’s general director, Gilles Pennelle, resigned on Monday. The MEP was the main architect of the “Matignon plan”: the composition of a list of candidates to invest in the legislative elections in the event of dissolution. A preparation that should have helped the RN after Emmanuel Macron’s surprise decision on the evening of the European elections. But many of these candidates were singled out for their anti-Semitic or racist remarks, poisoning the end of the party’s campaign.
The fact remains that with at least 125 deputies, the RN group will necessarily have weight in the National Assembly. Well aware of her future role, Marine Le Pen, reappointed at the head of this contingent, was all smiles on Wednesday when her troops arrived at the Palais-Bourbon. But the far-right party quickly got tangled up in its strategy in the face of an NFP government. The secretary general of the RN group, Renaud Labaye, surprised everyone by announcing to the Figaro do not count on censoring “automatically” a government of which LFI would be a part, “if the left makes consensual measures that we can vote for.”
An outburst quickly contradicted by Marine Le Pen. The leader of the RN deputies promised that her party “will censor[it] any government” including ministers from LFI, but also environmentalists. A few minutes later, Jordan Bardella went even further, affirming his intention to overthrow “immediately a minority NFP government.”
In the Assembly, the battle for key positions has only just begun
Away from the cameras, the newly elected deputies were also focused on another issue: distributing the important positions in the future National Assembly, before the opening of a first parliamentary session on July 18. Who will replace the former Renaissance president of the Assembly, Yaël Braun-Pivet? The elected leftists hope to have one of their representatives elected to the perch, but they will need the votes of the presidential camp.
The strength of future groups will have a significant impact on nominations. Composed of at least 15 members, a political group allows questions to be asked of the government, seats to be allocated in committees or even the session to be suspended.
In the center, Gabriel Attal should take the lead of the majority deputies, once his resignation is confirmed by the president. While most of the elected representatives joined the Renaissance group on Friday, some on the left wing, such as Sacha Houlié, slammed the door, without managing to form their own group. For their part, the allies of the presidential party, Horizons and the MoDem, are pursuing their own strategy with two independent groups.
On the left, the PS and LFI are hunting down overseas MPs, hoping to gain the upper hand within the NFP. The dissident rebellious MPs, such as Clémentine Autain, François Ruffin and Alexis Corbière, are negotiating with the communists, after having launched (for some) their own movement. The ecologists hope to play a central role with their 33 elected representatives – a record.
The right is also scattered. On one side, Eric Ciotti, the contested president of LR after his alliance with the RN, launched his own group, A droite, with 17 deputies. On the other, the historic channel of the Republicans renamed itself La Droite républicaine, and appointed Laurent Wauquiez as its head. But a handful of LR elected officials are missing and could form a third group, behind the Lot deputy Aurélien Pradié.
Once their composition has been determined, these groups will have to decide whether or not to register as an opposition party before July 17. A decision that is not made easier by the absence of a government. Finally, there is the question of whether or not to allow the RN to access key positions in the Assembly, as it was able to do during the previous legislature. The left intends to block the nomination of far-right figures, but some are leaving the door open at Renaissance. The party leader, Stéphane Séjourné, explained on Thursday that he did not see any “reason to exclude RN deputies from key positions in the National Assembly”.