On Wednesday, French President Emmanuel Macron implored mainstream political factions to unite and assemble a strong majority within the National Assembly. His appeal came as his first public statement in the wake of Sunday’s snap election that resulted in a legislative deadlock. The elections, which Macron called unexpectedly following a defeat to the extreme right National Rally (RN) in the European elections in June, have led France into an unpredictable political situation. This consists of three politically divergent blocs with no clear way to establish a government.
The widely criticised Macron made a plea to parties sharing ‘republican values’ in a letter written to the local press, encouraging them to establish a ruling coalition. His wish was to select a prime minister from this coalition. Macron did not overtly state that RN and the far-left France Unbowed (LFI) should be excluded from this coalition, however his emphasis on ‘republican values’ is generally perceived to exclude extreme right or left wing factions.
During these elections, the left-wing New Popular Front (NFP), a coalition comprising France Unbowed, Communists, Greens and Socialists, surprisingly obtained the majority of seats, but fell short of a majority. Macron’s centrist group took second place, while RN came in third.
Marine Le Pen of RN attributes the political stagnation solely to Mr. Macron. She criticised pre-election agreements that, according to her, hindered RN’s access to power. On the other hand, leftist leaders, having secured the highest percentage of the vote, argued that they should be given the reins of government. However, Carole Delga, from the Socialist Party, asserted that the left wing alone could not govern and needed to reach out to others. This would be based on the NFP’s economic programme of increasing taxes and public spending. Yet, some disagreed with this proposition and took a more stringent stance.
Manuel Bompard of France Unbowed, declared on LCI TV that it is incumbent upon the NFP, due to its strong presence in the National Assembly, to form a government. Presently, that is the aim they are striving for. This report is courtesy of Reuters and is copyright protected by Thomson Reuters, 2024.