A week after the conclusion of France’s snap legislative election, the composition of the new government remains uncertain. The left-progressive alliance, New Popular Front (NFP), has emerged as the largest group in parliament with over 180 seats. However, President Emmanuel Macron has yet to acknowledge this outcome. Instead, he signed a controversial statement claiming that “nobody won” the election and is now meeting with leaders from liberal parties ahead of the National Assembly’s first meeting scheduled for July 18.
Read more: Macron delays mandate for New Popular Front
Meanwhile, the NFP faces internal challenges in nominating a prime ministerial candidate. Late last week, Huguette Bello, president of the regional council of Réunion, emerged as a potential candidate approved by three of the four parties in the NFP. The Socialist Party refused to support the nomination, citing her absence during a 2015 vote on same-sex marriage, despite her later officiation of ceremonies and support for LGBTIQ rights in parliament. Following this, Bello chose to retract any potential nomination, urging the left bloc to maintain unity.
The Socialist Party’s move has frustrated alliance partners, especially La France Insoumise (France Unbowed), who suspect it as a tactic to promote their leader, Olivier Faure, as the prime ministerial candidate. The Socialist Party has denied these claims, but Faure has argued that a faction within the party believes they should claim the prime minister position, citing their performance in the European elections. However, he has not explained how this logic applies to the legislative results, where the Socialist Party won fewer seats than France Unbowed.
The NFP leaders are set to meet later on Monday to address the impasse and seek a resolution, crucial as Macron and his allies are banking on fractures within the left camp to retain power and undermine the NFP’s progressive agenda. As discussions within the front continue, France Unbowed has announced that it will insist on selecting a joint candidate for the President of the National Assembly before addressing issues related to the formation of a government.
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Outgoing Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin, associated with highly unpopular immigration policies, has called on the Socialist Party to abandon the NFP and form a majority with liberals. This majority would likely rely on support from right-wing forces in parliament, considering that, without them, the Macronists would still be short of an absolute majority. Darmanin criticized the “delusional program of France Unbowed” and appealed to “republican, reasonable, and secular socialists” to collaborate with the presidential camp.
In response to Macron’s efforts to undermine the election results and discredit parts of the NFP, trade unions and associations have called for a mobilization to coincide with the inauguration of the National Assembly. “Emmanuel Macron’s power grab will not be thwarted without popular mobilization,” France Unbowed said in a statement, expressing support to the protests that are to follow.
