President Macron has already spent two days trying to find ways to form a stable government with the party leaders. So far, without success. Macron is counting on further meetings – but not all of them are attending.
After ruling out a left-wing coalition government, French President Emmanuel Macron is conducting further exploratory talks. According to French media reports, the head of state received representatives of the small centrist faction LIOT in the Élysée Palace.
Talks with the conservatives are scheduled for Wednesday. Following the now less formal consultations with parties and individuals, Macron wants to appoint a new prime minister.
But how a government can be found remains unclear. The Socialists and the Greens have rejected Macron’s offer of further talks. “We will not continue this circus, these sham consultations,” said Green Party leader Marine Tondelier on France Info. Socialist leader Olivier Faure said on France 2: “I refuse to be an accomplice to a parody of democracy.” The leader of the Communists, Fabien Roussel, said: “It’s not worth our coming.”
In the early parliamentary elections seven weeks ago, the left-wing alliance Nouveau Front Populaire, made up of the Greens, Socialists, Communists and the left-wing party La France Insoumise (LFI), came in first place – ahead of Macron’s centrist forces and the right-wing nationalists around Marine Le Pen. No camp received an absolute majority in the National Assembly. Forming a government is therefore proving difficult. The left-wing alliance has repeatedly stressed its claim to government.
On Monday evening, Macron ruled out a government of the Nouveau Front Populaire. A government that relies solely on the program and the parties of the Nouveau Front Populaire would be overthrown by a vote of no confidence in the National Assembly. Macron called on the Socialists, Greens and Communists to propose ways of working with other groups. His camp had previously repeatedly ruled out cooperation with LFI.
