Populist leader Marine Le Pen and two key allies are scheduled to meet with President Emmanuel Macron next week as France remains without a majority government over a month after snap national elections. President Macron will receive Le Pen alongside Jordan Bardella, president of her National Rally (RN) party, and Eric Ciotti, a leading member of the center-right Les Republicains (Republicans) who has expressed openness towards allying with RN.
The meeting is just one of several that President Macron will be holding with multiple parties as the National Assembly struggles to form a working coalition and put forward a prime minister. The previously controlling globalist-progressive bloc loyal to Macron is now in second place behind a far-left bloc, with Le Pen’s party in third—despite winning the popular vote—as the single-largest party in the legislature.
The establishment parties allied with President Macron and the far-left parties were able to block RN from any of the key positions in the parliament following the election. Le Pen slammed the move, arguing that it was undemocratic given RN’s share of voters.
During the Paris Olympics, a “truce” was declared among the parliament, but now that the games are over, President Macron is under pressure to appoint a new prime minister. This is largely due to the upcoming national budget, which is expected to be finalized and presented in September.
Outgoing Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, a Macron ally, remains in post as a caretaker, but members of the far-left bloc in the legislature are demanding Macron remove him soon.
