How the political class reacts to the hypothesis of a Lucie Castets government without LFI, raised by Jean-Luc Mélenchon

The leader of La France Insoumise asked the presidential camp and the right if they would renounce censuring an NFP government from which his party would be absent. A hypothesis quickly rejected by many personalities of the former majority.

A gamble to try to boost the chances of the New Popular Front to reach Matignon. Faced with threats of immediate censure raised by the presidential camp and the right if La France Insoumise were to enter the government, Jean-Luc Mélenchon suggested, on Saturday 24 August, that he would let Lucie Castets form an executive without ministers from his party.

“If Lucie Castets’ government did not include any rebellious ministers, would you commit to not voting for censure and to allowing it to implement the programme for which we came out on top in the legislative elections?” asked Jean-Luc Mélenchon on TF1, addressing “to the leaders of the three Macronist parties and the right”. “If you tell us no, we will say that the rebellious ministers are, in fact, a pretext: it is the program that you do not want.”summed up the leader of the radical left movement.

As consultations continue on Monday at the Elysée Palace with a view to appointing a Prime Minister, this political move has been unanimously applauded within the New Popular Front. “Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s statement puts the Macron camp face to face with its responsibilities”reacted the leader of the environmentalists, Marine Tondelier, to the AFP on Sunday. “It’s a clever strategy on the part of La France Insoumise, because it allows us to see that the problem is not the rebellious ministers, but rather the line defended by the New Popular Front.”stressed the environmentalist MP Sandrine Rousseau on TF1 on Monday, although she does not say that she is “not a fan of a government where we would close the door to LFI ministers.”

With this proposal, “the pretext which until now served to refuse the nomination of Lucie Castets has been lifted, and so I see no obstacle from now on”added the leader of the socialists, Olivier Faure, on franceinfo. “I am waiting for the President of the Republic to clarify his position, the ball is in his court”supported the national secretary of the communists, Fabien Roussel,in France Bleu Hérault.

Within La France insoumise, Eric Coquerel praises a proposal from Jean-Luc Mélenchon which places “LFI’s interests in the background and the country’s interests in the foreground with the implementation of the program”The MP fears, however, that “the presence or absence of LFI ministers within the government” not be “just a pretext” to justify a motion of censure. “It is up to the members of the government, the executive and the presidential camp to prove the opposite to us”concludes the elected official on franceinfo. “A question was asked in the presidential camp” And “We are still waiting for the answer”the main person concerned, Lucie Castets, grew impatient on Sunday evening.

For the time being, neither the Elysée nor Gabriel Attal, head of the presidential party’s parliamentary group in the Assembly, have commented on this political statement. A handful of elected officials have, however, expressed their opposition to any government of the New Popular Front. “A government that would implement the full NFP program would be a government that would tax the French, that would cause public spending to explode and that would flout our secularism.”castigated the Together for the Republic (ex-Renaissance) MP Mathieu Lefèvre. “Against such a government, with or without LFI, I would vote for censure”he decides on X.

“It’s not because La France Insoumise won’t be in the henhouse that Jean-Luc Mélenchon won’t be at the pen! It changes absolutely nothing,” agrees another member of the group, Karl Olive, on the same social network. His counterpart Jean-René Cazeneuve goes even further: “No LFI minister, no LFI proposals in the program and no more LFI in [l’Assemblée nationale]. LOh, yes, we’re starting to feel good,” writes the Gers MP on X.

The idea was also quickly dismissed by allies of the presidential party. “It’s a joke and he is fully aware of the sleight of hand he is trying to pull.”François Bayrou said on LCI on Sunday. The MoDem leader explained that his “opposition to the formation of a government around LFI” was not related to “questions of etiquette, personality, or even style”but “mostly” due to the NFP program.

“This is a dangerous program for the country”because it contains “extremely heavy things” particularly in terms of public spending and immigration, insisted François Bayrou.

Same story from the head of the Horizons deputies, Laurent Marcangeli, who affirms that the NFP program, “if implemented, would cause a crisis.” Therefore, “We will oppose it with all the instruments that the Constitution offers us”which could “go through a vote of censure”he warns in an interview with Figaro.

From Haute-Loire, where he made his political comeback on Sunday, Laurent Wauquiez considered that Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s party was “probably the greatest political danger for our country”. “It is our responsibility and we will assume it: we will block LFI,” proclaimed the leader of the deputies La Droite républicaine, the new name of the LR, which did not follow Eric Ciotti in his support for the RN. He did not specify, however, whether or not he would censure an NFP government without an LFI minister.

“For us, it’s no to LFI ministers and no to a program inspired by LFI”more clearly dismissed Bruno Retailleau, the leader of the right-wing senators, on Saturday on X. “We are opposed to their participation in a government, as well as to their ideas.”.

Within the National Rally, Sébastien Chenu also affirms that it is not a question of“a question of man”. “We will censor any government that comes from the New Popular Front and especially that applies the program of the New Popular Front”, assured the vice-president of the far-right party on France 2 on Monday. Until now, the RN, which has remained very discreet about its political strategy in recent days, made the presence of LFI and the environmentalists in government its red line.

“The idea of ​​a New Popular Front government where there would be no rebellious minister changes absolutely nothing”clarified Marine Le Pen as she left the Elysée Palace, where she was received by Emmanuel Macron on Monday morning. In her eyes, “It is La France Insoumise and therefore it is Jean-Luc Mélenchon who will actually lead this government”whatever its composition.