Politics No new government in sight in France

There is no new government in sight in France after the parliamentary elections. Following the defeat of President Emmanuel Macron's centrist camp, the victorious left-wing alliance has not yet succeeded in agreeing on a candidate for the office of prime minister or finding other partners for a majority in parliament capable of governing.

The efforts of the presidential camp to win over the conservative Républicains, the Socialists or other partners for a grand coalition or the toleration of a minority government have not yet led to any results either.

At a meeting with leading representatives of his camp at the Élysée Palace, Macron lamented the "disastrous spectacle" that his camp had put on this week, reported the newspapers "Le Figaro" and "Le Parisien", citing participants.

Socialists and Left Party vie for supremacy

The new left-wing alliance of the Greens, Socialists, Communists and the left-wing party La France insoumise has been insisting for days that the president should swiftly appoint a new prime minister from its ranks. However, the internal search for a candidate remains tough. "We cannot reach an agreement between the proposals of La France Insoumise and the Socialists", said Communist leader Fabien Roussel, as reported by Le Figaro. Both parties are striving for dominance in the left-wing alliance.

According to the newspaper "Les Échos", the Socialists want to impose their leader Olivier Faure as their candidate in the trial of strength, while the Left Party, despite naming various possible candidates, is essentially aiming to install its leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon as Prime Minister. With his autocratic and polemical approach, Mélenchon has become a thorn in the side of many, even within his own party. But the far-left strategist has not yet announced his withdrawal.

Macron could accept the resignation of Prime Minister Attal

Next Thursday, the newly elected National Assembly will convene for its constituent session. If the current government camp has not found a way to secure power through a coalition before then, Macron will nevertheless accept Prime Minister Gabriel Attal's resignation, which was initially rejected "for the stability of the country", reported Le Figaro and Le Parisien.

Attal and his government team would then only be in office on a caretaker basis, but could not be toppled by a vote of no confidence.

Macron dissolved the National Assembly in June following his party's resounding defeat in the European elections and announced new elections. He was counting on expanding the relative majority of his centrist forces in the lower house. Instead, his camp ended up in second place behind the left-wing alliance, ahead of Marine Le Pen's Rassemblement National, which was long considered the favorite in the election based on the results of the first round of voting and polls.

SDA