The candidate for Matignon proposed by the New Popular Front wants to “restore legitimacy to parliamentary work” by making “compromises” with the other groups in the Assembly. However, she dismisses any agreement with the National Rally.
How would France be governed if Lucie Castets were appointed to Matignon? The candidate for the post of Prime Minister designated by the New Popular Front by consensus gave some ideas during an interview with The Sunday Tribunethis Sunday, July 28. She explains that she will “seek compromises with the other groups, with the exception of the National Rally”. She specifies that she will “not be responsible for their votes. If they want to repeal the pension reform or improve public services, I cannot prevent them”. She nevertheless assures that the “NFP will never vote for a text coming from the RN”. A strategy very different from that of Marine Le Pen’s group, which voted for several texts presented by other opposing groups during the last legislature.
A stronger Parliament
Lucie Castets also assures that she wants to “restore legitimacy to parliamentary work”. This desire is expressed by several opposition groups, who criticize the presidential camp for having taken power of the Assembly, in particular because of the many texts passed with 49.3 under the Borne government. “The bills proposed by other groups and goodwill will be welcome if they are in line with what the NFP is promoting. In this context, I will make compromises and discuss amendments”, she adds.
About Finances
The candidate for Matignon was also questioned about a possible tax reform. As a reminder, France has been placed in excessive public deficit proceedings by the European Commission, because of its deficit at 5.5% of GDP in 2023. Lucie Castets assures that her “primary objective is not to respect the European stability pact”, limiting the authorized deficit to 3%, and instead wants to launch a “major tax reform”. She wants to establish “progressive income tax”, thus increasing to 14 brackets, which would lead to a “tax reduction” for “a large proportion of households”. She also wants the return of the wealth tax (ISF) and an American-style operation for tax expatriates, so that they “pay their taxes to the French tax authorities”. Thus, she would “seek tax and social revenues of 150 billion euros by 2027”.
Appointed before the end of the Olympics?
Although Emmanuel Macron opposed the appointment of Lucie Castets to Matignon, or any other personality proposed by the NFP, because he believes that the left-wing alliance did not obtain a majority (although relative), she considers that “it is desirable that the government be appointed as soon as possible”. The candidate for the post currently held by Gabriel Attal is positioning herself against the president’s decision not to appoint a new Prime Minister before the end of the Olympic Games. “The President of the Republic must put an end to the unprecedented paralysis that we are experiencing”, she demands. “He must take the result of the legislative elections seriously and put the political party that came out on top into government”, continues Lucie Castets. “Until then, we are working, we are preparing the implementation of our program”, she concludes.