REPORT. Refusal of an NFP government: a “deplorable” situation for these left-wing voters in Lyon

On Monday evening, Emmanuel Macron announced that he would reject any proposal from a government from the New Popular Front. An incomprehensible and distressing decision for these left-wing voters in Lyon.

Representatives of the left are refusing to participate in the new consultations to find a Prime Minister and are calling for a demonstration, the day after Emmanuel Macron rejected any proposal for a government from the NFP. The situation is dragging on, almost two months since the last elections. In the Croix-Rousse district of Lyon, voters are torn between anger and weariness.

Léa herself admits to being lost. She voted left in the last legislative elections and today, she has a hard time explaining her feelings. “Jazed, betrayed, but we’ve been betrayed for months by the president and the government, so obviously angry. But perhaps desperate, that’s the term that would best fit. I don’t know what to do anymore.”

Hubert does not mince his words. He also voted for the new Popular Front, and he says to himself “disillusioned”. “I find it deplorable. Macron is the man who never wanted to lose. There was a relative majority in the 2022 legislative elections. In that case, it suited him very well. And now, when it is to his disadvantage, inevitably, it no longer works, there is no more legitimacy. He never wants to lose and never wants to recognize when the wind turns against him.”

He says he is worried about the situation. A bit like Céline. For her, these legislative elections are a real turning point. And it is the first time that she has doubted so much. “It’s very strong. This latency before appointing a Prime Minister following a dissolution which seems to be a political coup, but a failed political coup. Yes, there is necessarily a very, very strong loss of confidence.”

“I don’t feel heard and, above all, I have lost confidence in the politicians who are currently in office.”

Céline, left-wing voter

to franceinfo

This loss of confidence is precisely what Bernard fears, and he is not kind to Emmanuel Macron. “For me, he’s an arsonist, because it’s the right way to put even more people on the streets and try to disgust those who started voting even though they didn’t believe in it.”

So, if a demonstration is organized in Lyon on September 7, he will be in the street, despite his 77 years. Marie-Céline will also be part of the procession. “Honestly, if I can, I do it, I go. Because what is not heard at the ballot box must be heard in the street. We are pushed to the limit, and then we say ‘they are reacting badly and they are extreme’, but the tactic is to push to the limit.”

She says she is not surprised by the situation and adds “I didn’t expect better from Emmanuel Macron.”