France is in a stalemate. After the parliamentary elections, no camp has a majority of its own – a coalition is not foreseeable. Macron is still looking for a way out. What could that look like?
More than seven weeks after the parliamentary elections in France, President Emmanuel Macron is trying to achieve a breakthrough to a government through exploratory talks. He wants to consult with the conservatives again. It was not disclosed in detail which other parties or personalities Macron asked for talks.
The political situation is complicated. In the early parliamentary elections a good seven weeks ago, the left-wing alliance Nouveau Front Populaire, made up of the Greens, Socialists, Communists and the left-wing party La France Insoumise (LFI), came first. The alliance repeatedly stresses its claim to government. At the beginning of the week, however, Macron ruled out a government made up entirely of its camp. Such a government would be overthrown immediately.
Macron’s centrist forces came in second place in the election, followed by the right-wing nationalists around Marine Le Pen and her allies. No camp received an absolute majority in the National Assembly. Forming a government is therefore proving difficult.
Government without left wing camp difficult
Macron had repeatedly suggested a kind of grand coalition from the communists to the conservatives. He ruled out government cooperation with the right-wing nationalists as well as with the left-wing party La France Insoumise, which is part of the left-wing alliance.
However, it is unclear how a majority is to be formed. The left-wing alliance was outraged that Macron did not see a government formed by them as an option. Socialists, Communists and Greens did not want to take part in new talks that Macron started. LFI was not even invited. The alliance had repeatedly stressed that it wanted to govern as a coalition.
After an initial meeting with Macron, the conservatives ruled out participation in the government. It is unclear whether they would be willing to tolerate a minority government from the center camp.
But even with the support of the conservatives, Macron’s centrist forces would not be able to achieve an absolute majority of 289 seats in the National Assembly without the right-wing nationalists or parties from the left. In addition, Macron has repeatedly stressed that his camp suffered defeat in the election and that the next prime minister should not come from its ranks. It can therefore be assumed that Macron continues to hope to be able to win over parties from the left spectrum for a government with the centrist camp.
New Prime Minister possibly during the Paralympics
The aim of Macron’s talks is to appoint a new prime minister of a stable government. It is unclear when this might happen. Macron wants to act as quickly as possible. At the same time, he probably does not want to overshadow the start of the Paralympic Games this evening with a nomination.
If a new head of government is appointed during the games, it is quite possible that the current ministers will remain in office until the closing ceremony on September 8th – at least in the interior and sports departments. However, there will not be much time left. Discussions in parliament on the upcoming budget will begin in the autumn.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
