Leaders from France’s left-wing bloc, which emerged victorious in Sunday’s legislative election, and the runner-up centrists continued their frantic efforts on Wednesday to assemble competing bids to form a workable government.
The surprising results of the snap election, where the left saw an unexpected surge but no single group secured an outright majority, have thrown France into uncertainty, leaving no clear path to a stable government.
The New Popular Front (NFP) alliance, comprising the hard-left France Unbowed, Communists, Socialists, and Greens, alongside Macron’s centrists, engaged in intensive efforts to attract lawmakers from each other’s camps and beyond.
“I think there is an alternative to the New Popular Front,” said Aurore Berge, a senior lawmaker from Macron’s Renaissance group, in an interview with France 2 TV. “I don’t believe the French want to see the NFP’s platform implemented; they are wary of potential tax increases.”
“We are the only ones who can expand our base,” she added, suggesting that The Republicans, a conservative party, could potentially be involved in such discussions.
According to political sources cited by Reuters, phones are ringing constantly as centrists attempt to lure enough lawmakers from the mainstream left to form the basis of a government.
Meanwhile, leftist leaders also took to the airwaves to argue that, having won the election, they should lead the government. However, the different parties within the NFP have yet to agree on a prime minister and cabinet.
Financial strain
In the face of warnings from rating agencies, how France manages its strained public finances will be an early test of its governability. Financial markets, the European Commission, and eurozone partners are closely monitoring developments.
While it is customary for President Emmanuel Macron to invite the largest parliamentary group to form a government, the constitution does not oblige him to do so.
Options under consideration include forming a broad coalition or establishing a minority government that would pass laws on a case-by-case basis through ad hoc agreements in parliament.
“Macron must allow the left to govern,” insisted leftist leader Francois Ruffin in an interview with Le Monde.
Macron, whose term extends until 2027, appears unlikely to drive policy initiatives forward, having been defeated by the far-right National Rally in last month’s European elections and by the left in the snap legislative election, which he called against the wishes of some of his supporters.
Carole Delga of the Socialist Party stressed that the left cannot govern alone and must reach out to others, but strictly on the basis of the NFP’s tax-and-spend program.
Others took a more assertive stance.
“The NFP holds the largest number of seats in the National Assembly, therefore it falls to us to form a government … that is our objective,” Manuel Bompard of France Unbowed declared on LCI TV.
