By I. Hansana, Jadetimes News
France's leftwing coalition leaders expressed strong satisfaction after meeting with President Emmanuel Macron for the first in a series of challenging consultations aimed at forming a new government. The New Popular Front (NFP) has urged Macron to appoint its candidate as prime minister to resolve a six week political impasse.
Despite Macron's earlier rejection of the NFP's proposed candidate, Lucie Castets, a 37 year old civil servant, for lacking "broad and stable" support, the discussions appeared constructive, though Macron has yet to announce a prime minister. Manuel Bompard of La France Insoumise, a key coalition member, noted that Macron seemed to be acknowledging his loss in the election and suggested the president should act more as a "referee" than a decision maker.
France has been in political deadlock since the July legislative elections failed to produce a majority, splitting the Assemblée Nationale into three nearly equal blocs: left, center, and far right, none of which holds a working majority. The previous centrist government, led by Gabriel Attal, resigned after the election but has continued in a caretaker capacity during the Olympic "truce" called by Macron.
The Elysée consultations, intended to be "loyal and sincere," began with the NFP, which won 193 seats, falling short of the 289 needed for an absolute majority. Macron later met with members of center and center right parties, including the conservative Les Républicains, and is scheduled to speak with National Rally representatives.
Centrists, conservatives, and far right parties have threatened a no confidence motion if a France Unbowed member leads the next government, while France Unbowed has made a similar threat if the prime minister is not an NFP candidate. An Elysée spokesperson did not specify when a new prime minister would be named but emphasized the need for the political forces in parliament to collaborate in forming a stable majority.
The spokesperson also outlined three key takeaways from the election: the outgoing majority lost, the French electorate rejected a far right National Rally government, and no coalition has the strength to claim a majority, marking an unprecedented situation in the history of the Fifth Republic.
