The Nouveau Front Populaire (New Popular Front) left-wing alliance won the most seats in France’s snap legislative election in early July. It took 182 seats, while president Emmanuel Macron’s ‘centrist’ coalition Ensemble took 168 and far right Rassemblement National (National Rally) won 143. The New Popular Front, a coalition of left-wing leader Jean-Luc Melenchon’s La France Insoumise (Unsubmissive France), social democrats, Greens, and communists, were short of the 289 seats needed for a majority.
But they still won the most seats, with other coalitions even further off.
Nonetheless, Macron, as president, has refused to appoint a prime minister from the left-wing coalition. He said “no one won”, in an address to the French public. (In France, the presidential election runs separate and is not until 2027. The president traditionally has more power over foreign policy and the prime minister domestic).
Macron ushering a “return to the royal veto” against the public
Melenchon and the left are challenging Macron’s position. The leader pointed out that Macron appointed a prime minister from his coalition following the 2022 legislative elections, where, like the New Popular Front in 2024, the centrist coalition had won the most seats, but still short of a majority.
The New Popular Front further said in a statement:
The New Popular Front is without contest the first force in the new National Assembly. Were the president to persist in refusing to recognize the results of [the] election, this would be a betrayal of the spirit of the constitution.
And Melenchon echoed the sentiment:
This result must now be extended by defeating Macron’s power grab. He wants to keep the power that the French voters took away from him. There can be no question of accepting this kind of return to the royal veto against a vote by the electorate. There can be no question of allowing the return of unscrupulous combinations and secret plots to impose themselves through a coalition different to the one chosen by the popular vote! What is unacceptable must not be accepted. And this must be translated into concrete action, until the president respects the decision made through universal suffrage.
Still, Macron has refused to appoint the New Popular Front’s joint candidate, Lucie Castets, as prime minister That’s despite Melenchon offering to support Castets without any Unsubmissive France ministers, even though Unsubmissive France won the most seats in the alliance. This aims to leave Macron’s position looking increasingly authoritarian.
Macron cannot call another snap election until June 2025. He has held talks with the National Rally of Marine Le Pen. The far-right party have said they will vote no confidence against any prime minister from the left-wing coalition.
When it comes to policies, the New Popular Front pledged to scrap Macron’s raising of the retirement age and increase the minimum wage. It also pledged to introduce price caps on essential food and electricity and invest in public services and green energy.
Meanwhile, the deadlock continues.
Featured image via Jean-Luc Melenchon – YouTube
