Anger after Macron rejects France left-wing authorities
French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday dismissed the idea of naming a left-wing government to end the country’s political deadlock, in a move that sparked anger among the country’s leftist alliance.
Macron said that having a left-wing government would be a threat to “institutional stability,” in comments that riled the New Popular Front (NFP).
The front is made up of the hard-left France Unbowed (LFI), the Socialists, the Communists and the Greens. It secured the highest number of seats in the country’s parliamentary election earlier this summer.
Green Party leader Marine Tondelier said Macron’s announcement was a disgrace, adding that he was ignoring the election results. France Unbowed’s parliamentary group leader Mathilde Panot even threatened Macron with the possibility of impeachment.
Snap election that left more questions than answers
Legislative ballots were held in France on June 30 and July 7 after Macron called a
snap election that delivered a hung parliament. The election saw the 577-seat National Assembly divided between the NFP alliance with over 190 seats, followed by Macron’s centrist group at around 160 and far-right French leader Marine Le Pen’s National Rally at 140.
The NFP says it has the right to form a government but centrist and right-wing parties have vowed to vote it down in any confidence vote.
Macron argued that he could not choose a prime minister who would then receive a vote of no confidence in parliament.
“My responsibility is that the country is not blocked nor weakened,” Macron said in a presidential statement late on Monday, calling on “all political leaders to rise to the occasion by demonstrating a spirit of responsibility.”
LFI blasts ‘anti-democratic coup’
The LFI reacted with fury, with its national coordinator Manuel Bompard calling Macron’s remarks an “unacceptable anti-democratic coup.”
LFI leader Jean-Luc Melenchon called for a “firm and strong response” by the public and politicians, including a “motion of impeachment” against the president.
Communist party leader Fabien Roussel called for a “grand popular mobilization” and ruled out a fresh round of talks.
Green party leader Tondelier said “the people must get rid of Macron for the good of democracy. He is chaos and instability.”
Who Macron will choose as prime minister remains to be seen, especially as they would need to secure the support of the divided parliament. Monday’s developments suggest there is no imminent end in sight to France’s political crisis.
jsi/rmt (AFP, Reuters, dpa)
