France’s left-wing alliance and President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist bloc sought to bring together rival proposals to form a government, while far-right leader Marine Le Pen said on Wednesday (10) that the blame for the political impasse lay squarely with Macron.
The result of Sunday’s election, in which the left-wing New Popular Front (NFP), which includes the far left, won a surprise victory but no group secured an outright majority, has plunged France into uncertainty with no obvious path to a stable government.
Complicating matters further, leaders from each camp disagreed over who to contact to try to reach an agreement. Tensions within the parties have also grown as members jostle for influence in rebuilding a political landscape shattered by the snap election.
And any government – left, centrist or a broader coalition – could quickly fall victim to a vote of confidence from the opposition if it has not secured sufficient solid support.
“Today, we find ourselves in a quagmire, as no one can know from what position the prime minister will come or what policy will be adopted for the country,” far-right leader Marine Le Pen told reporters as she arrived at parliament.
Le Pen condemned pre-election deals that she said kept her National Rally (RN) party out of power.
Macron, whose term ends in 2027, called the parliamentary vote after his party was defeated by the far-right in European Union elections last month and said it would clear up the situation – which it did not.
“To say the least, this is not a great success for Emmanuel Macron,” Le Pen joked.
Amid warnings from ratings agencies, financial markets, the European Commission and France’s eurozone partners are all watching closely to see if the impasse can be resolved.
Alternatives
It would be normal for Macron to call on the largest parliamentary group to form a government, but nothing in the constitution obliges him to do so.
Options include a broad coalition and a minority government, which would pass laws through parliament on a case-by-case basis.
Political sources told Reuters the phones were ringing constantly, with some centrists now hoping they could strike a deal with the conservatives and leave the left out in the cold.
“I think there is an alternative to the New Popular Front,” Aurore Bergé, a senior lawmaker in Macron’s group, told France 2 TV. “I think the French don’t want the NFP platform to be implemented, I think they don’t want tax increases.”
“We are the only ones who can broaden (our base),” she said.
Meanwhile, left-wing leaders have also appeared to stress that, having won the election, they should run the government. But with no agreement yet on who could be prime minister, they now face growing competition from the right and center.
Carole Delga of the Socialist Party stressed that the left alone cannot govern and must reach out to others – but on the basis of the NFP’s tax and spend program.
Source: CNN Brasil
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