France waits for new government, two months after election

A new government is to present the budget to parliament on 1 October, but even as August draws to an end, there is no sign of a new government in France. President Emmanuel Macron has refused to appoint a prime minister from the left coalition NPF, the largest coalition in the national assembly, or from the far-right National Rally (RN).

In effect, he has indicated his preference to appoint someone from his own centrist coalition that came second, or from the conservatives who have a minuscule presence in the House. He also has the option of appointing someone who is a prominent figure but a political outsider. The new PM, however, has to secure the confidence of the House and prove a majority.

“My responsibility is that the country is neither blocked nor weakened,” Macron said in a statement this week after discussions with political leaders failed to break the deadlock. Olivier Faure, first secretary of the Socialist Party, told the media that he would not attend the second round of talks, refusing to take part in a “parody of democracy”. The far-right National Rally (Rassemblement National or RN) said it would vote against any left-wing government.

A political crisis appears imminent with the far-left party of Jean-Luc Melenchon, La France Insoumis (France Unbowed), threatening to launch impeachment proceedings against Macron for not honouring the electoral verdict. The party also plans to hit the streets on 7 September to protest against Macron’s ‘undemocratic’ action. 

The left-wing coalition New Popular Front had won 182 seats in the election, followed by Macron’s centrist Ensemble alliance with 163, relegating the RN and its allies to third place with 143 seats following tactical voting by the NPF in the second round of the election on 7 July. None of the three coalitions secured a majority of 289 seats in the 577-member National Assembly, which is the reason cited by Macron for not appointing a prime minister yet.

The left alliance was hurriedly stitched together after Macron called for a snap poll (he did not have to as elections were due in 2027) following Marine Le Pen’s RN sweeping the election for the European Parliament. He wanted people to express their choice and provide clarity. According to the French Constitution, the president remains unaffected by the election to the National Assembly.

The RN emerged as the single largest party in the first-round of polling on 30 June and seemed on the verge of grabbing power. However, the left coalition, comprising the LFI, Socialists and the Greens scrambled and withdrew hundreds of candidates from the second round of voting to keep the far right out. Arguably, this flexibility by the left allowed Macron’s centrist coalition to win more seats than expected after the first round. 

The inability of the left coalition to agree on a prime ministerial candidate allowed Macron to delay the appointment of a new PM. He also cited the summer Olympic Games starting in Paris on 26 July as another reason for effecting the transition to a new government.

During this time, the left coalition NPF agreed to project Lucie Castets, a 37-year-old senior civil servant and economist, as their candidate for the prime minister. When Macron declared last week that he was not inclined to appoint the PM from the NPF because the presence of the far-left France Unbowed in the alliance, Melenchon offered to give an undertaking that there would be no minister from his party in an NPF government. This offer, too, was spurned this week.

Macron's lieutenants like Benjamin Haddad (former spokesperson for Macron's party in the French parliament) said an NPF government, with or without France Unbowed, was unacceptable because it' would be bad for France. Incensed NPF supporters counter by asking who must decide what is good for France.

The controversy has once again divided France, with Macron's critics accusing him of abusing his power and being undemocratic; his supporters believe the president faces a conundrum because the electorate did not deliver a clear mandate and majority to any coalition. While Macron attributes his indecision to his desire to ensure ‘institutional stability’, critics say it is up to the Parliament, not the president, to achieve it.

It appears almost certain that the motion for impeachment will be presented by the Insoumis deputies to the Bureau of the National Assembly in accordance with Article 68 of the Constitution; and any proposal for a prime minister other than Castets will be subject to a motion of censure. Macron, however, knows that an impeachment procedure is unlikely to be successful as it would require two-third of all MPs to vote in favour.