Macron urged by French left to let it form government
GuardianAug 25
France: Macron Rules Out Left-Wing Government
Above: French Pres. Emmanuel Macron at the Closing Ceremony of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 on Aug. 11, 2024 in Paris, France. Image copyright: Amin Mohammad Jamali/Contributor/Getty Images Sport via Getty Images
The Facts
French Pres. Emmanuel Macron announced Monday his refusal to appoint as prime minister Lucie Castets from the leftist New Popular Front (NFP) coalition, which has about a third of the seats in the National Assembly.
This comes as the leaders of the right-wing National Rally (RN), Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella, warned Macron that a vote of no confidence would be put forward if he installed a leftist government.
The Spin
Narrative A
The leftist bloc may have agreed on Castets as its candidate for prime minister, but Macron has a constitutional duty to ensure the stability of the country. If he were to appoint Castets, all the other groups would form a majority to vote a motion of no-confidence against her government — and that's definitely not what institutional stability looks like.
Left narrative
Macron and his centrist allies are still in denial, but that doesn't change the fact that the French people have given a clear mandate to the NFP. Therefore, Macron's moves to deny the largest alliance its chance to form a new government and instead retain power through covert plots indicate his undemocratic disregard for the popular vote.
Right narrative
Macron is playing the most-voted party, National Rally, and the largest group, the NFP, for fools in a desperate power grab after his camp suffered a massive defeat in legislative elections. As he does this, he also denies democracy and undermines the republic's institutions and the sovereignty of the people.