The New Popular Front (NFP) denounces “an unacceptable anti-democratic coup”. Emmanuel Macron ruled out this Monday, August 26, following a series of consultations with political parties, the option of a government “based solely on the program and parties” of the New Popular Front in the name of “institutional stability”, according to a press release from the Elysée.
Such an executive “would be immediately censored by all the other groups represented in the National Assembly” and “the institutional stability of our country therefore requires that this option not be retained”, writes the presidency. The head of state “calls on all political leaders to rise to the occasion by demonstrating a spirit of responsibility”, and particularly urges the socialists, communists and environmentalists to “cooperate with the other political forces”.
Emmanuel Macron will launch this Tuesday “a new round of consultations” to find a Prime Minister, with party leaders and “personalities distinguished by their experience in serving the State and the Republic”, the Elysée Palace indicated in its press release. While a first series of consultations did not result in finding a name to replace Gabriel Attal, “my responsibility is that the country is neither blocked nor weakened”, assures the head of state, who believes that “the political parties of government must not forget the exceptional circumstances of the election of their deputies in the second round of the legislative elections”.
“A situation of exceptional gravity”
This refusal to appoint Lucie Castets to Matignon has provoked the anger of the leaders of the NFP. The coordinator of La France insoumise Manuel Bompard denounced this Monday evening on BFMTV an “unacceptable anti-democratic coup”. The LFI deputy assured that the New Popular Front would not “participate in a new attempt at consultation”. The rebellious leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon judged on X that the president had just “created a situation of exceptional gravity”, affirming that “the popular and political response must be rapid and firm” and that a “motion of dismissal will be filed”. The communist Fabien Roussel called, for his part, for “a large popular mobilization” to contest the presidential decision.
After receiving representatives of the left, Macronie and the Republicans on Friday, Emmanuel Macron welcomed the presidents of the National Assembly and the Senate, Yaël Braun-Pivet and Gérard Larcher, as well as the leaders of the far right on Monday. Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella went out at midday to the gardens of the presidential palace to reaffirm to the press their intention to censure “a probable government of the New Popular Front”. And this, even without an insoumis minister: “it changes absolutely nothing”, decided the leader of the RN deputies, who called for the opening of an extraordinary session of Parliament in September so “that the National Assembly can be in a position to censure if necessary”. In the process, their ally Eric Ciotti said he was on the same wavelength. These consultations were supposed to lead to the appointment of a new Prime Minister. A choice that has become urgent as Gabriel Attal has been managing current affairs at Matignon for 41 days already, something never seen before since the post-war period.