French left’s PM candidate: who is she and Macron’s reaction

The left-wing Nouveau Front Populaire (NFP) alliance finally announced its candidate for the prime minister position yesterday, nearly two and a half weeks after the legislative elections. 

Senior civil servant Lucie Castets, 37, has been picked by the four main groups that make up the alliance after various internal candidates from parties within the NFP were vetoed by their counterparts. 

Her current work as a civil servant revolves around “the defence of public services” in France, the NFP said in a press release announcing the candidacy. She has also worked for the Paris mairie’s financial services and anti-fraud and financial corruption unit.

She participated in overturning the pension reform rules of 2023, which saw the age of retirement rise to 64.

In an interview Wednesday morning with France Inter, Ms Castets said she is “ready” to take up the position of prime minister. 

“Hope has been raised, I am ready, we are ready, and I am asking the president to undertake his responsibilities and appoint me as prime minister,” she said.

She added that the president was “inconsistent” and “in denial of democracy” after the legislative election results earlier this month. 

When it came to her policies, she said she would follow the manifesto of the NFP, and rejected President Emmanuel Macron’s calls for a broader coalition.

“A coalition with the presidential camp is impossible because of our profound disagreements,” she added. 

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Chosen as a ‘safe’ candidate, but may face criticism

Despite being relatively unknown to the public, her role as a civil servant and lack of affiliation to any of the political parties helped the group decide on her, just making the Socialist Party’s (self-imposed) deadline of July 23 for the alliance to officially name a candidate.

However, the choice of her candidacy may face some criticism due to her background, being educated at elite institutions including the École nationale d’administration (ENA) and Sciences Po.

Many French politicians and civil servants attend the ENA, or other institutions such as the école normale supérieure (ENS), before starting their political careers, which some see as putting them out of touch with the ‘ordinary’ French person. 

This is a criticism levelled not least by left-wing groups, which are often against the idea of ‘institutional’ politicians and want more MPs to come from a wider range of French society.

However, those who have previously worked with her, including Fabien Sudry, former prefecture of the Tarn-et-Garonne, have described her as a “brilliant” candidate for the role, highly motivated to succeed.

Macron waves away claim to PM role

Mr Macron was dismissive of the announcement, however, in a televised interview shortly after the NFP made the announcement.

“The question is not [what group picks a name first]. The question is what majority can emerge in the Assemblée nationale so that a government can pass reforms, pass a budget and move the country forward,” he added. 

The president also highlighted the re-election of centrist Yaël Braun-Pivet as president of the Assemblée nationale as a sign his party were the most supported in the chamber, and not the NFP. 

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