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French parties scramble for influence after inconclusive vote

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  • French parties scramble for influence after inconclusive vote
  • July 9, 2024
  • Article Body Text Paris — <p>French parties sought to project strength and gather allies on Tuesday, with the government adrift following an election in which no one political force claimed a clear majority.</p> <p>Having defied expectations to top the polls, new MPs from the left-wing New Popular Front (NFP) alliance began showing up to visit their new workplaces in parliament ahead of a first session on July 18.</p> <p>But the coalition of Greens, Socialists, Communists and the hard-left France Unbowed (LFI) is still debating over who to put forward as a potential prime minister and whether it could be open to working in a broader coalition.</p> <p>Combined, the left-leaning parties' hold 193 of 577 seats in the National Assembly and are well short of the 289-seat threshold for a majority.</p> <p>Nevertheless, members plan to name a potential prime minister &quot;by the end of the week,&quot; leading LFI figure Mathilde Panot said.</p> <p><a href="https://www.voanews.com/a/france-faces-uncertain-future-after-left-surges-in-legislative-runoff/7689469.html"><img src="https://gdb.voanews.com/01000000-0a00-0242-ff14-08dc9f6826ec_tv.jpg" />France faces uncertain future after left surges in legislative runoff</a></p> <p>In the French system, the president nominates the prime minister, who must be able to survive a confidence vote in parliament — a tricky proposition with three closely-balanced political forces in play.</p> <p>Any left-leaning government would need &quot;broader support in the National Assembly,&quot; influential Socialist MP Boris Vallaud acknowledged in an interview with broadcaster France Inter.</p> <p>Macron's camp came second in Sunday's vote, taking 164 seats after voters came together to block the far-right National Rally (RN) from power.</p> <p>This left the anti-immigration, anti-Brussels outfit in third place with 143 MPs.</p> <p>The president has kept Prime Minister Gabriel Attal's government in place for now, hoping horse-trading in the coming days and weeks could leave an opening for him to reclaim the initiative.</p> <p><a href="https://www.voanews.com/a/france-s-macron-keeps-prime-minister-in-place-for-stability-of-the-country-after-chaotic-election/7689363.html"><figure><img src="https://gdb.voanews.com/01000000-0a00-0242-9038-08dc9f3bdbaf_w1600_r0_n_s.jpg" /></figure></a><a href="https://www.voanews.com/a/france-s-macron-keeps-prime-minister-in-place-for-stability-of-the-country-after-chaotic-election/7689363.html">France&#39;s Macron keeps prime minister in place for &#39;stability of the country&#39; after chaotic election</a></p> <p>However, &quot;there has been an institutional shift. Everyone thinks it's up to the newly-elected National Assembly to bring forth a solution, which (Macron) would simply have to accept,&quot; wrote commentator Guillaume Tabard in conservative daily Le Figaro.</p> <p><strong>'None can govern alone'</strong><br /> <br /> In a sign that some divisions remain, the left parties' MPs planned to enter the parliament at different times throughout the day.</p> <p>The Socialists are still hoping to glean a few more members for their group to outweigh LFI and have a greater say over the alliance's direction.</p> <p>Meanwhile, members of Macron's camp were eyeing both the centre-left Socialists and conservative Republicans as possible allies of convenience for a new centrist-dominated coalition.</p> <p>&quot;None of the three leading blocs can govern alone,&quot; Stephane Sejourne, head of Macron's Renaissance party, wrote in daily Le Monde.</p> <p>&quot;The centrist bloc is ready to talk to all the members of the republican spectrum,&quot; he added — while naming red lines including that coalition members must support the EU and Ukraine and maintain business-friendly policies.</p> <p>These requirements, he warned, &quot;necessarily exclude LFI&quot; and its caustic founder Jean-Luc Melenchon.</p> <figure><img src="https://gdb.voanews.com/10050000-0aff-0242-22ea-08da52c9a469_w1600_r0_n_s.jpg" /><figcaption>FILE - Leader of left-wing coalition Nupes Jean-Luc Melenchon delivers a speech after the first results of the second round of the parliamentary elections in Paris, June 19, 2022.</figcaption></figure> <p>Markets are paying close attention to the EU's second-largest economy.</p> <p>Ratings agency Moody's warned it could downgrade its credit score for France's more than three-trillion-euro debt pile if a future government reverses Macron's widely-loathed 2023 pension reform, echoing a Monday warning from S&amp;P on the deficit.</p> <p><strong>What next?</strong><br /> <br /> Even as politicians struggle to define the immediate path ahead, eyes are also already turning to the next time French voters will be called to the polls.</p> <p>Macron's term expires in 2027 and he cannot run a third time — potentially leaving the way open for his twice-defeated opponent, RN figurehead Marine Le Pen, to finally capture the presidency.</p> <p>The far-right outfit has been digesting a disappointing result after polls suggested it could take an absolute majority in parliament.</p> <p>On Tuesday, party sources told AFP its director-general Gilles Penelle had resigned.</p> <p>Penelle, elected last month to the European Parliament, was the architect of a &quot;push-button&quot; plan supposed to prepare the RN for snap elections, which ultimately failed to produce a full roster of credible candidates.</p> <p>The far right outfit's progress is undeniable, having advanced from just eight MPs soon after Macron's first presidential win in 2017 to 143 today.</p> <p>Greens and LFI leaders nevertheless called Tuesday for the RN to be shut out of key parliamentary posts.</p> <p>&quot;Every time we give them jobs, we increase their competence. It's important not to give them jobs with responsibilities,&quot; leading LFI lawmaker Mathilde Panot said.</p> <p>&quot;Today we represent 10 million French people with 143 MPs,&quot; retorted RN representative Thomas Menage, calling the appeal &quot;anti-democratic&quot;.</p> <p>As for Macron, he has sought to stay above the fray, planning for a trip to Washington for a NATO summit starting on Wednesday where allies may be in need of reassurance of France's stability.</p>
  • Content Type Text
  • Language English
  • NewsML Media Topics Arts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
  • Subtitles / Dubbing Available No
  • Network VOA
  • Embargo Date July 9, 2024 08:26 EDT
  • Byline Agence France-Presse
  • Brand / Language Service Voice of America - English
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