With the end of the “Olympic truce”, the discussions about the next head of government have risen with new force in France.
“There are reports that Emmanuel Macron is preparing to nominate the head of government regardless of the results of the parliamentary elections,” said a commentary published in La Tribune Dimanche on Sunday, adding that it was an “institutional coup against democracy.”
The leaders of the extreme left threaten that in response to this “abuse of power” they will trigger article 68 of the constitution, which provides for the impeachment of the president in case the actions of the head of state are “obviously incompatible with his powers”.
According to reports, the New People’s Front (NFP), which unites the Socialists, LFI, Greens and Communists, after long-term bickering, agreed on a common candidate for the post of prime minister on July 23, selecting a little-known economist and civil servant, Lisia Caste, who has experience in “non-payment of taxes and combating financial crimes”.
However, in the parliamentary elections, the NFP won only 182 out of 577 seats in the National Assembly. Although the left has a total of 193 seats, it is far too few to secure the majority needed to form a government. Meanwhile, the centrist union “Ensemble” represented by President Macron won 164 seats, and the right-wing National Union (RN) won 143 mandates.
A few hours before the opening of the Paris Olympics, the president rejected the left’s bid, saying that the issue was not the name of the next prime minister, but a majority in the National Assembly that would be able to implement reforms and pass a budget so that the country could move forward.
At the moment, such a majority does not stand out, and the various words that have been uttered have not evoked wide acceptance. Moderate politicians such as the president of the Aude-France region Xavier Bertrand, who represents the conservative Republican Party, and the socialist Bernard Cazeneuve, who has already held the chair of the head of government under President Francois Hollande, have been mentioned as possible prime ministerial candidates, among others.
In an effort to shift the balance of power, Macron plans to meet with leaders of parties and parliamentary factions on Friday.
“The appointment of the prime minister will result from these consultations and their conclusions,” said a statement issued by the Elysée Palace last Friday.
In order to ensure a centrist majority, excluding nationalists and left-wing extremists from forming the government, the president should try to split the socialists from the NFP, which are more moderate than the aggressive LFI.
However, the LFI, the Socialists, the Communists and the Greens, despite their apparent strategic differences, show a willingness to maintain their unity.
At the same time, Socialist leader Olivier Fors emphasized that the calls for Macron’s impeachment apply only to LFI. He stated that in any case, impeachment is impractical, as it requires a two-thirds majority in both chambers of the parliament.
Meanwhile, the leader of the Greens, Marina Tondelje, has announced in a conversation with the AFP agency that she will devote all her energy to the appointment of Caste as prime minister as soon as possible.
A week ago, Kaste herself sent a letter to all members of the National Assembly, except for the RN representatives, claiming that her intention is to unite those politicians who are not part of the NFP.
There is no indication that she would be able to convince anyone of this outside the leftist coalition.
2024-08-20 01:31:08