France in limbo after Macron gamble deepens political deadlock
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Many in France were joyously relieved by the outcome, and cheering crowds gathered in Paris to celebrate Ms Marine Le Pen’s defeat,
PHOTO: NYTIMES
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PARIS - French President Emmanuel Macron refused his prime minister’s resignation on July 8, as he scrambled to maintain France’s credibility after his snap election gamble failed to break political deadlock.
The left-wing New Popular Front (NFP) won the most seats in July 7’s second-round parliamentary vote,
But no group wields an outright majority and no obvious candidate for prime minister has emerged.
Many in France were joyously relieved by the outcome, and cheering crowds gathered in Paris to celebrate Ms Le Pen’s defeat, but potentially divisive talks on forming a new government were just beginning, three weeks before Paris hosts the Olympics.
Prime Minister Gabriel Attal visited the Elysee Palace to submit his resignation to Mr Macron, but was asked to remain in power in a caretaker capacity to see out the Games – and reassure the international community and the markets that France still has a government.
Mr Macron’s office said he had thanked Mr Attal for leading the centrist alliance in European and legislative elections and asked him to stay “for the time being in order to ensure the stability of the country”.
In a sign of concern about the financial impact of a political crisis in the EU’s second-largest economy, business leaders’ group Medef urged any new government to offer “clear and stable economic policy”.
Meanwhile, ratings agency S&P warned that France’s credit score would be “under pressure” if Paris does not “reduce its sizeable public deficit”, less than two months after its latest downgrade.
‘No illusion’
The Paris stock exchange opened 0.49 per cent down, rebounded and then closed in negative territory as France digested the situation, unprecedented in recent history.
International reaction was muted and mixed.
France’s EU partners are relieved that Ms Le Pen’s euro sceptic outfit will not come to power, where they could endanger future European integration and Western support for Ukraine.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told reporters he was “relieved”, adding that “we hope that the president and the elected MPs will manage to bring about a constructive government”.
Moscow, meanwhile, tried to mask its disappointment.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia would have preferred a win by a party “ready to make the efforts to restore our bilateral relationships” but now harboured neither “hope nor particular illusion on this matter”.
In Paris, Socialist Party leader Olivier Faure said the NFP’s allied parties would choose a candidate to replace Mr Attal, “either by consensus or a vote”, this week.
But the debate on the left about Cabinet names will be fierce.
The biggest NFP component is the hard-left France Unbowed (LFI) of firebrand Jean-Luc Melenchon, a divisive figure who is anathema to the right and centre and has alienated many fellow leftists.
The unprecedented situation is taking shape just as Mr Macron is due to be out of the country for most of the week, taking part in the Nato summit in Washington.
Divided Parliament
After they won the June 30 first round of the elections by a clear margin, July 7’s results were a major disappointment for Ms Le Pen’s RN, despite boasting its biggest ever contingent in Parliament.
Mr Macron’s centrist alliance will have dozens fewer members of Parliament but held up better than expected and could even end up in second when seat numbers are confirmed.
The NFP – formed last month after Mr Macron called snap elections – brought the previously deeply divided Socialists, Greens, Communists and LFI together.
Projections and provisional results show the NFP will be the largest bloc in the new National Assembly with around 190 seats, Mr Macron’s alliance on around 160 seats and the RN on about 140.
No group is close to the 289 seats needed for an absolute majority.
Only one week ago, some polls had indicated the RN could win just such an absolute majority, with Ms Le Pen’s 28-year-old lieutenant Jordan Bardella becoming prime minister.
Instead he will remain an MEP, taking the helm of a new far-right grouping in the European Parliament in which the RN will be the largest member, alongside allies like Mr Viktor Orban’s nationalist Hungarian governing party Fidesz and Italy’s League.
In the French campaign, “I take my share of responsibility, as much for victory in the European elections as for (Sunday’s) defeat”, Mr Bardella told reporters on July 8.
“But time is on our side, and we will keep working to convince the French people,” he added, predicting a “wave that will bring (the RN) to power”. AFP
