After the enchanted truce of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, political news has returned in great strides to the national debate. No government has been appointed since the result of the early legislative elections, brought about by the dissolution of the National Assembly wanted by Emmanuel Macron at the end of June. “Early elections that left more questions than answers”, points out the Deutsche Welle. And, “the political blockade is not yet over,” notes the Spanish daily. The Country (center left).
On Monday, August 26, French President Emmanuel Macron refused to nominate a candidate from the left-wing alliance as prime minister and called for a new round of consultations before naming a government.
Emmanuel Macron “has noted that a government based solely on the programme and parties proposed by the alliance with the largest number of MPs, the New Popular Front, would be immediately censored by all the other groups represented in the National Assembly,” argued the Elysée. Representatives of the left immediately denounced “an unacceptable” and “distressing” anti-democratic coup. “France is plunged into a new political chaos,” headlines the British newspaper The Guardian (center left).
“Necessary compromises”
The president also called on the Socialist Party (PS), the environmentalists and the Communist Party (PC) to propose “ways to cooperate with other political forces”, thereby excluding La France Insoumise (LFI). An invitation rejected en bloc by the various left-wing parties. “It’s a no. There will be no government led by Lucie Castets”, observes the Belgian daily The evening (center). However, there was great hope on the left, which had “prepared for this interview with the head of state,” the daily recalls.
Shortly before the Elysée statement, Gabriel Attal, the resigning Prime Minister and leader of the presidential party’s deputies, had confirmed the scenario of “inevitable censorship” for any government around the NFP’s program alone. The other movements allied to Emmanuel Macron, as well as the right and the far right, had said the same thing.
“Emmanuel Macron’s best hope would be a pact between the centrists and moderate conservatives of the Republicans and the small center-right parties, even if they only represent about 65 seats,” notes The Times“Compromises will be necessary, since new legislative elections cannot be called for a year,” the Spanish daily rightly points out. The Country. The choice of Emmanuel Macron becomes urgent while Gabriel Attal has been managing current affairs at Matignon for 41 days already, something never seen since the post-war period. And a budget must theoretically be presented before October 1st. An important vote since France is the subject of a European Union procedure for excessive deficit”, concludes The evening.