President Macron rejects left-wing coalition's nomination for French PM
France remains in chaos with no new government on the horizon
The president said a left-wing government would be too unstable
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French President Emmanuel Macron has refused to appoint the candidate of the left-wing Nouveau Front Populaire (NFP) as prime minister, leading to more political chaos in France.
The decision was announced on Monday (August 26), after meetings had been held with candidates across the political spectrum since last Friday, including with Lucie Castets, the NFP candidate, and the far-right.
The president said he would not appoint Ms Castets, as an NFP government would cause ‘instability’, despite it winning the most MPs in the snap legislative elections held in July.
Mr Macron “noted that a government based solely on the platform and parties put forward by the alliance with the most lawmakers [the NFP] would immediately be toppled with a vote of no confidence by all the other groups represented in the National Assembly,” a statement from the president’s camp announced.
The announcement led to fury in the left-wing camp.
Ms Castets called the move “a denial of democracy” and said “democracy means nothing in the eyes of the president,” in a press statement following the announcement.
“The president has decided not to respect the results of an election that he himself called for,” said Cyrielle Chatelain, Green MP, on social media. “We won’t give up. Lucie Castets is the legitimate candidate.”
Far-left stalwart and figurehead of the left Jean-Luc Mélenchon confirmed that a motion of impeachment against president Macron would be tabled.
He also announced members of the left would table their own votes of no confidence against any ensuing government that did not have Ms Castets at its head.
Many members of the left had threatened to bring a motion of impeachment against the president if Ms Castets was not appointed as prime minister.
Votes of no confidence against left PM threatened
Members of both Mr Macron’s centrist coalition and the far-right Rassemblement National announced they would immediately depose a vote of no confidence against a government headed by the NFP, which the president highlighted in the announcement.
MPs in the centre are against the idea of members of La France Insoumise (LFI), the largest but most radically left-wing member of the alliance, being in government.
LFI members previously announced that they would not accept any cabinet positions if by doing so it meant the appointment of Ms Castets as prime minister, however this was seemingly not enough to convince Mr Macron.
The far-right party said they would enact a motion of no confidence in any left-wing government, regardless of the make-up of its ministers.
Read more: France’s longest temporary government: is there a deadline for a new PM?
What next?
The political situation still remains unclear.
No feasible coalition has enough votes to form an absolute majority (289 MPs of the 577 seats), and based on the comments from the three major camps, any relative majority government would immediately be struck down by votes of no confidence.
The remaining options for a majority government are slim.
It would either require the centre and far-right ally – a near impossibility after Mr Macron’s group committed to a front républicain to block the far-right in the second and decisive round of the legislative elections – or a broad ‘centrist’ coalition’.
This centrist coalition would see everyone from the Communist party to the right-wing members formerly of Les Républicains join with Macron to form a temporary government.
The right has already ruled out an official coalition, and only named a set number of policies they would vote for.
Read more: Tax, immigration, pensions: right-wing French MPs list what they will support
The left, particularly the Socialists and Greens who are more towards the centre, are the targets of persuasion attempts from the centre to ditch the NFP and join this broad coalition.
Currently, they have committed to remaining in the leftist alliance, and seem unlikely to abandon it to join Mr Macron’s party in government.
The presidential camp announced that “a new round of consultations with the leaders of parties and individuals with experience in serving the State and the Republic will resume.”
The left, however, have said they will refuse to attend these meetings unless Ms Castets is appointed as prime minister.
Read more: Comment: France has entered its ‘deckchairs on the Titanic’ moment
