Janice R. Andrews
In order to break France’s political deadlock, President Emmanuel Macron has started a political uproar by refusing the formation of a left-wing government. The move has made the country’s socialist coalition, the New Popular Front (NFP), angry and hostile. The NFP is made up of the hard-left France Unbowed (LFI), Socialists, Communists, and Greens.
The rejection by Macron causes a lot of debate.
Macron ruled out the idea of a left-wing government on Monday, saying that it would threaten “institutional stability.” The NFP is very angry about what he said and says that the president is not listening to the people who voted for the alliance and gave them the most seats in the recent parliamentary elections.
The head of the Green Party, Marine Tondelier, called Macron’s move a “disgrace” and said he was ignoring the results of the election and undermining democracy. France Unbowed’s parliamentary group leader, Mathilde Panot, went even further and said that Macron’s acts could lead to his removal from office.
The political stalemate gets worse.
The trouble started after there were two quick elections on June 30 and July 7. The results left the house with no clear leader. The NFP won more than 190 seats in the 577-seat National Assembly, more than Macron’s center-right group, which got about 160 seats. The National Rally of far-right leader Marine Le Pen came in second with 140 seats.
The NFP says it has the power to form a government, but parties on the left and right have promised to stop any confidence vote that supports the alliance. As Macron has said, naming a left-wing prime minister would only make the political deadlock worse because the government would almost certainly lose a vote of no-confidence in parliament.
In a speech late Monday night, Macron said, “My responsibility is that the country is not blocked nor weakened.” He also asked party leaders to show a “spirit of responsibility” in the face of the current crisis.
Leftist Alliance Urges You to Act
The LFI is very angry about Macron’s decision not to consider a left-wing government. Manuel Bompard, the LFI’s national organizer, called it a “unacceptable anti-democratic coup.” For a “firm and strong response,” Jean-Luc Melenchon, head of the LFI, has asked the people and lawmakers to back a “motion of impeachment” against the president.
Fabien Roussel, the head of the Communist Party, repeated the call to resistance. He called for a “grand popular mobilization” and said that there would be no more talks with Macron’s government. Green Party leader Tondelier has also asked people to vote against Macron, saying that he is making France unstable and full of chaos.
It’s still not clear who Macron will pick as his next prime minister as the political situation gets worse. But because the National Assembly is split, it will probably be very hard for any appointment to get backing from the whole house.
