The president of France, Emmanuel Macronhas committed this Tuesday to appoint a new prime minister in the next 48 hours to get out of the political crisis ongoing, although it is still unknown whether it will be left-wing or center-right.
Macron has met in the Elysee Palace to the parties of the so-called “republican arc” from which the National Group (RN) of Marine Le Pen —the most voted force in France— already The Rebellious France (LFI) of Jean-Luc Mélenchonthe third formation in number of deputies.
At the end of the meeting, the most talkative party official was Marine Tondelierleader of the Ecologists. “He (Macron) has committed to naming a prime minister in the next 48 hours,” he told reporters.
Tondelier has assured that he has no clues as to whether the head of government will be left-wing or center-right, and has defended that if he leaves the ranks of the left-wing coalition of the New Popular Front (NFP) will respect the parliamentary debate and will not approve measures without a vote in the chambers through the controversial article 49.3 of the Constitution.
In any case, Tondelier has regretted that “the presidential camp has not changed a single comma in its position”, which may distance possible consensus to form a Government that lasts at least 10 months, until constitutionally new legislative elections can be held.
Less gloomy than the environmental leader has been the first secretary of the Socialist Party, Olivier Faurewho called today’s meeting “interesting” because it has served to “verify where each person’s points of view are.”
“Perhaps there is a landing strip for a new method that allows Parliament to recover all its rights,” he maintained.
Faure has been heavily criticized by Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s LFI, his main partner in the left-wing coalition of the New Popular Front (NFP), for having reached out to the Macronists and conservatives of The Republicans (LR).
The 66 Socialist deputies, and to a lesser extent the 38 of the Greens, are essential if Macron wants a new Government that can survive in a National Assembly fractured into three blocks that are very similar in number of seats (left, macronists and extreme right) and in principle irreconcilable.
On the part of the right of the LR, its parliamentary leader, Laurent Wauquiezhas given the impression of putting more obstacles than the socialists, six days after Michel Barnierbaron of the LR, resigned as prime minister due to the motion of censure he suffered in the National Assembly with the votes of the left and the RN.
“We will not negotiate a government contract with those who do not have our same values (…) our same vision of France in areas such as purchasing power, the labor market, welfare, immigration,” Wauquiez assured journalists, who It has 47 seats.
After having had three prime ministers in 11 months, Macron is looking for some stability with an Executive that lasts at least well into the summer of 2025, which is when constitutionally new legislative elections can be called.
Excluded from the negotiations despite being the first party in France in number of votes both in the early legislative elections in July (11 million voters) and in the European elections, Marine Le Pen has sent an indirect warning to Macronwho is in charge of appointing a head of government.
“The new prime minister must respect all the political forces in the National Assembly and build a budget that takes into account its red lines. We must preserve the purchasing power of the French and save on the State’s lifestyle,” said Le Pen.
(With information from EFE)
