The invitation has been issued. Emmanuel Macron has invited the presidents of the parliamentary groups and the leaders of the parties represented in Parliament to “a series of discussions” on August 23, with a view to trying to form a government, the Elysée announced on Friday, August 16.
“The appointment of a Prime Minister will take place following these consultations and their conclusions,” the presidency also announced in a statement, hoping to “move towards the constitution of the broadest and most stable majority possible in the service of the country.”
A month after the resignation of the Attal government, nothing has leaked out about Emmanuel Macron’s intentions and several names are circulating for the post of Prime Minister, from the LR president of the Hauts-de-France region Xavier Bertrand, to the former socialist tenant of Matignon Bernard Cazeneuve.
Lucie Castets at the Elysée
On July 23, the President mentioned “mid-August” as the calendar, after the Olympic Games “break”. The President of the Republic, who asked the political parties and groups to exchange ideas in this interval, had also ruled out the nomination of Lucie Castets, a senior civil servant appointed by the New Popular Front, a left-wing coalition that came out on top in terms of the number of seats in the legislative elections and which claims Matignon. Lucie Castets sent her priorities for the legislative agenda to the deputies and senators on Monday, in a letter co-signed by the seven leaders of the left-wing parliamentary groups.
The four NFP parties (Socialists, Insoumis, Communists and Ecologists) are considering running together at the August 23 meeting, with aspiring Prime Minister Lucie Castets, said LFI coordinator Manuel Bompard. Emmanuel Macron’s entourage made it known this Friday that they see no problem with it: “The president is obviously not opposed to it if it is a collective request and the political forces of the NFP consider that it is useful for the exchange to be constructive.”