In France, candidates for the post of prime minister are emerging on the left

Photo: Alain Jocard Agence France-Presse The coordinator of La France insoumise, Manuel Bompard, warns that the left will apply its program and that it will be up to “each of the groups to take their responsibilities”.

Didier Lauras – Agence France-Presse in Paris

Published yesterday at 9:26 a.m.

• Europe

The left alliance, which came first in the legislative elections in France without an absolute majority, affirmed on Tuesday that it wanted to implement its program of rupture, even if it means building alliances piecemeal, while candidates emerge to lead the government.< /p>

Tight negotiations are continuing on the left, but also in the presidential majority, which does not rule out forming an alliance with the Republican right. President Emmanuel Macron, for his part, remains silent and flies to the NATO summit in Washington on Wednesday.

Sunday, the country expected a surge from the extreme right. But it was the New Popular Front (NFP) that voters placed in the lead, against all expectations.

A heterogeneous alliance of the radical left, communists, socialists and ecologists who quarreled daily yesterday and must now come to an agreement, starting with the designation of a consensual figure to embody their project.

A name could come out of the hat at the end of the week or next week. Olivier Faure, head of the Socialist Party, said he was ready on Tuesday “to take on this role”. He is described by a senior party official as “the only profile that can reassure”.

The other great left-wing force, La France insoumise (LFI, radical) , pushes MP Clémence Guetté, 33, popular among activists and much less divisive than her leader, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, considered a foil even in his own camp.

The dissident LFI Clémentine Autain and the ecologist Marine Tondelier are also sometimes cited.

On Tuesday, upon entering the National Assembly, left-wing elected officials seemed to rule out expanding their political base to the center-right, even though they only have 190 deputies, far from an absolute majority (289).

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“I don’t think we are in a situation today to have a broader coalition in government” than the NFP, declared environmentalist senator Yannick Jadot, for whom “coalitions will be built in the Assembly”.

As for the coordinator of LFI, Manuel Bompard, he warned that the left would apply its program, leaving it up to each group the responsibility to “either vote for our proposals or […] overthrow us”.

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Unraveling flagship measures

The coalition wants to repeal several flagship measures of the outgoing government, including pension reform, very unpopular, the law on immigration and the umpteenth reform of unemployment insurance. She also promised to increase the minimum wage.

The rating agency Moody's warned on Tuesday that the burial of pension reform and the absence of Budgetary savings could weigh on France's rating. Without a clear majority, “passing laws will certainly be difficult.”

On Monday, Emmanuel Macron asked his head of government Gabriel Attal not to resign to “ensure the stability of the country”, while Paris is hosting the Olympic Games in less than three weeks.

< p>Its room for maneuver is, however, limited. The NFP “solemnly” warned the president against “any attempt to hijack the institutions” in the event of a prolonged continuation of the current cabinet.

Stay at the center of the game

Determined to fight after a campaign which avoided the rout of the presidential camp, Gabriel Attal brought together the deputies of his camp on Tuesday. But the presidential silence is heavy. “When he needs to shut his mouth, he talks. And when he needs to speak, he shuts up,” said a deputy on Tuesday during the meeting, according to a participant.

The left-wing parties “cannot claim to govern on their own,” insisted a Macronist, calling for “a common road map” from the Republicans to the social-democratic left.

The hemicycle is now a tripartite body with, facing the NFP, a solid Macronist camp (around 160 seats), and the far right of the National Rally (RN, more than 140).< /p>

On the sidelines, the Les Républicains group (LR, right) has 66 seats and could play a pivotal role. But between 30 and 40 of its deputies will meet on Wednesday to appoint their president and change their name, after the alliance without consultation of their president with the RN before the first round.

As for the far right, it is suffering the blow after having hoped that its president Jordan Bardella would become prime minister. A failure explained in particular by the racist excesses and other manifestations of incompetence of numerous candidates.

The party, whose leader Marine Le Pen is aiming for the 2027 presidential election after having been beaten in the previous three since 2012, intends to leave its mark on the Assembly between now and then.

But it recorded a new disappointment, with the announcement Tuesday that his 2022 campaign was under investigation for suspicion of illegal financing.