President Emmanuel Macron’s decision not to accept the left-wing New Popular Front’s candidate as prime minister has been met with anger and the promise of street protests.
For the last six weeks France has been run by a caretaker administration that cannot make any new policy.
By holding consultations with all the heads of France’s political parties, Macron hoped to break that political deadlock – the result of snap parliamentary elections in July that put the left-wing New Popular Front (NFP) out in front, but failed to give any one party or coalition a working majority.
But after two days of talks, a statement issued Monday has caused further political chaos in France and prompted fury on the left.
In the announcement, Macron ruled out an NFP-led government, along with its pick for premier Lucie Castets, saying France needed institutional stability – which a left-wing government would not provide as it couldn't win a confidence vote in parliament.
“Such a government would immediately have a majority of more than 350 MPs against it, effectively preventing it from acting,” Macron said. “In view of the opinions expressed by the political leaders consulted, the institutional stability of our country means that this option should not be pursued.”
'Anti-democratic coup'
Macron called on the Socialists, Communists and Greens to “cooperate with other political parties” to try and find a PM who could command cross-party support.
The largest party in the alliance, the hard-left LFI, was not mentioned, in what appeared to be an attempt to split off more moderate members.
After the announcement, LFI’s national coordinator Manuel Bompard described Macron’s stance as an “unacceptable anti-democratic coup” while its president, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, accused Macron of creating an “exceptionally serious situation”.
“The popular and political response must be swift and firm,” Mélenchon said.
LFI has called for marches and protests to force the president to recognise the results of the election.
Paris politics heats up as left pushes for power and impeachment
Unified bloc
The NFP – a coalition of the LFI, Socialists, Communists and Greens – was formed to block the far-right’s accession to power.
It worked. NFP won 190 of the 577 seats in the lower chamber and Macron’s centrist Ensemble alliance 160, with the far-right RN on 140.
While such a diverse alliance has struggled to speak with one voice, on Tuesday it did just that.
Socialist party boss Olivier Faure refused Macron’s invitation to new talks, saying he would “not be an accomplice to a parody of democracy”, accusing the president of seeking to “prolong Macronism” despite losing the legislative election.
“French people will start to get annoyed, to say the least,” Faure warned, vowing to join the call for a “big popular mobilisation” by Communist party leader Fabien Roussel.
Roussel told BFM TV that Macron was going to trigger a “serious crisis in our country”.
Marine Tondelier, secretary general of the Greens, said the left was being robbed of this election.
“Macron talks of stability but three-quarters of the French want change, they need it,” she wrote on a social media post, calling the president’s action “a disgrace” and “dangerous democratic irresponsibility”.
Macron urges mainstream coalition after election, angering leftist alliance
Castets, the relatively unknown senior civil servant and economist proposed by NFP as premier, also hit out at Macron.
“Democracy means nothing to the president,” she said in an interview with France Inter public radio on Tuesday.
“We are faced with a president who wants to be president of the Republic, prime minister and party leader at the same time... He cannot compose the government of his dreams.”
Castets also highlighted the crucial role LFI had played in blocking the far right. In the snap polls, 38 LFI candidates pulled out of three-way races after the first round on 30 June, allowing 35 MPs from Macron's Ensemble coalition to win seats.
Blocking the left
NFP accuses Macron of denying democracy in the name of preserving his pro-business agenda.
The left-wing alliance's programme includes scrapping his contested pension reform and putting the retirement age back to 60; raising the minimum wage and public sector pay; linking salaries to inflation; cutting income tax and social security for lower earners; and freezing the prices of essentials such as food and fuel.
While a new wealth tax and other fiscal reforms would offset the extra expense, Macron's Renaissance party insists it will not put up income tax. On the contrary, it has promised to reign in France's large public deficit in line with EU norms.
While those two very different visions of France's future battle it out, the clock is ticking.
France’s budget, a draft version of which was prepared by outgoing PM Gabriel Attal, has to be presented before the National Assembly by 1 October at the latest.
Macron opens the Paralympic Games on Wednesday as the world watches, and then leaves for a two-day visit to Serbia on Thursday.
