After its surprise victory in the legislative elections, the New Popular Front must meet to propose a Prime Minister. Is Jean-Luc Mélenchon still in the race?
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“The president has the duty to call on the New Popular Front to govern. It is ready for it,” declared Jean-Luc Mélenchon, a few minutes after the announcement of the first results of the legislative elections on Sunday evening. The founder of La France insoumise spoke to welcome the victory of the alliance of the left, which obtained a relative majority in the National Assembly. “The Prime Minister must go!” Jean-Luc Mélenchon hammered home again. But does he have the ambition to enter Matignon himself?
In reality, the question of appointing Jean-Luc Mélenchon as Prime Minister, which so stirred up the legislative campaign, is no longer the responsibility of the rebel. Firstly, because in the absence of an absolute majority for the New Popular Front, it is not even certain that Emmanuel Macron will appoint a left-wing Prime Minister. Secondly, because within the coalition between socialists, communists, rebels and environmentalists, the hypothesis of “Mélenchon at Matignon” is largely rejected.
“We had an initial exchange between the different political parties of the New Popular Front last night, we will have others during the day,” said the coordinator of La France insoumise, Manuel Bompard, this Monday morning on France 2. “We will propose a method and then, of course, we will propose a name to be able to exercise” the function of Prime Minister, announced the rebellious, adding that “there are plenty of people who are credible” for this position. “Jean-Luc Mélenchon is absolutely not disqualified,” defended at the same time the rebellious deputy Mathilde Panot on RTL.
The partners of La France insoumise do not want Jean-Luc Mélenchon
“Will Jean-Luc Mélenchon be the Prime Minister of the New Popular Front?” Harassed by this question throughout the campaign, the socialists, communists and environmentalists have repeated their opposition to the hypothesis in turn. “It can’t be Jean-Luc Mélenchon,” hammered the socialist Olivier Faure on Wednesday, June 24 on TF1. “Jean-Luc Mélenchon is not the personality who will create a consensus among us for a peaceful Parliament,” confirmed the communist Fabien Roussel the following day on Franceinfo. Jean-Luc Mélenchon “is not the leader of the New Popular Front and he will not be Prime Minister,” environmentalist Marine Tondelier decided a few days earlier to AFP. “In the end, it will not be Jean-Luc Mélenchon,” promised Raphaël Glucksmann on June 14 on France Inter.
Reservations even came from the rebellious camp: François Ruffin and then Clémentine Autain supported the need for a more consensual figure than Jean-Luc Mélenchon for the post of Prime Minister. Positions which also earned them being sidelined by La France insoumise.
Emmanuel Macron will probably not appoint Jean-Luc Mélenchon as Prime Minister
The question will ultimately be decided by the head of state: it is up to Emmanuel Macron to appoint his Prime Minister. While it is customary for the President of the Republic to appoint a head of government from the majority bloc in the National Assembly, nothing obliges him to choose the personality designated by the bloc in question. Moreover, faced with a National Assembly made up of coalitions, none of which has an absolute majority, the President of the Republic has even freer hands to organize his executive: nothing actually obliges him to opt for a left-wing figure.
If Emmanuel Macron did indeed opt for a left-wing prime minister, he would probably choose a more moderate figure than Jean-Luc Mélenchon: a socialist, a communist or an environmentalist, or even someone who is not affiliated with a major party. He has already assured, before the second round of the legislative elections, that he would not govern with La France Insoumise.