Who Will Be France's Next Prime Minister... Left-Wing Coalition and Pro-Government Forces Accelerate Power Struggle

[Image source=Yonhap News]

In the French general election, no party secured a majority, prompting the left-wing coalition and the pro-government bloc, which took first and second place respectively, to accelerate efforts to take the lead in forming the government.

According to the daily newspaper Le Monde on the 9th (local time), the left-wing coalition New Popular Front (NFP) has begun behind-the-scenes negotiations among parties with the goal of presenting its own prime minister candidate within this week. Meanwhile, the pro-government bloc supporting President Emmanuel Macron is also speeding up efforts to form its own majority, insisting that far-left party members should not be included in the government.

In a statement issued that day, the NFP urged President Macron to "take immediate measures to allow the NFP to form the government." Earlier, Macron’s rejection of Prime Minister Gabriel Attal’s resignation and his request for Attal to remain in office temporarily for national stability served as a catalyst. The NFP plans to announce its own candidate within this week to pressure President Emmanuel Macron.

Among the NFP, the party showing the strongest determination to form the government is the far-left party La France Insoumise (LFI). LFI holds the position that even if the left-wing camp does not secure a majority of seats, it can still govern alone and remains open to alliances with other camps. However, not all factions within the NFP agree with LFI’s hardline stance.

There are also internal disagreements over the prime minister candidate. LFI considers its leader Jean-Luc M?lenchon as the leading candidate for prime minister, but other parties worry that his radical tendencies could hinder social integration and provoke strong opposition from rival camps, potentially disrupting government operations. The Socialist Party is pushing Olivier Faure as a prime minister candidate against M?lenchon.

While tensions over the prime minister position are rising within the NFP, the pro-government bloc is also making swift moves to form its own majority. Given the considerable wariness and anxiety toward the far-left party LFI within the parliament, they believe there is a chance of success if they can effectively rally centrist and moderate forces. Ya?l Braun-Pivet, former Speaker of the National Assembly from Macron’s Renaissance party, proposed forming an alliance centered on a central bloc ranging from the Republicans to social-democratic leftists.

There is also an opinion that the choice of the right-wing Republicans is crucial for the centrist camp to secure the right to form the government. The Republicans are not opposed to an alliance with the pro-government bloc, seeing it as an opportunity to add seats and potentially aim for the prime minister position.

However, if President Macron appoints a prime minister from the pro-government bloc or the Republicans, strong opposition from the NFP is expected. There is a high risk that political deadlock could ensue from the start of the new parliament.