France has yet to form a new government after last week’s snap legislative elections, which saw President Emmanuel Macron’s Ensemble bloc lose its majority. Macron has accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, but no one has emerged as a likely replacement. The Macronist bloc in the National Assembly has the second-largest share of seats, behind the far-left New Popular Front (NFP), but this faction also has too few lawmakers to govern alone.
THE LEFT DIVIDED.
The New Popular Front is a coalition of communist, socialist, and green parties, mired in internal conflicts. So far, it has put forward six candidates for Prime Minister and cannot agree to unite behind any of them.
Its major issue is that it has no real leader. The anti-NATO, pro-Palestinian Jean-Luc Melenchon is its leading figure, and his France Unbowed party is its largest faction. However, the Macronists are determined to exclude Melenchon and France Unbowed from any deal with the far left.
Internally, the Socialist Party has rejected all of France Unbowed’s proposed prime ministerial candidates, including Melenchon, suggesting their own leader, Olivier Faure, should get the job.
POPULISTS SEEK INFLUENCE.
Marine Le Pen‘s populist National Rally (RN) came first by share of the popular vote but third by share of lawmakers, compared to the far-left and Macronist party coalitions. Nevertheless, hers is the single largest party in the National Assembly following the elections.
On Tuesday, Le Pen called on all parties to be allowed to participate in the functioning of the parliament.
Jean-Noël Barrot, Attal’s Secretary of State for European Affairs, surprisingly echoed her comments on X, saying that excluding parties who won millions of votes will undermine the legislature’s legitimacy.
“Let us fight extremes tirelessly, but without ever weakening institutions,” he said.
The National Rally also faces judicial hurdles, with prosecutors confirming they have launched an investigation into the party shortly after the elections concluded.
MACRONISTS SEEK TO RETAIN POWER.
President Macron is advising his lawmakers to try and forge a majority coalition or make a pact to allow legislation to go through. This would likely involve attempting to peel the Socialists and other parties besides France Unbowed away from the New Popular Front.
Macron’s bloc could also appeal to some members of Les Republicains (LR), an establishment-right faction that contains some RINO-like politicians that may be open to supporting an anti-populist coalition.
Republican lawmaker Philippe Juvin confirmed on Tuesday that his party is in discussions with the Macronists, and that the Republicans will also oppose any prime ministerial candidates from France Unbowed.
Such a “rainbow coalition” of the Macronists, far-left defectors, and the establishment right would lack democratic legitimacy. Still, it could allow Macron to snatch a form of victory from the jaws of electoral defeat.
Jack Montgomery contributed to this report.
