Who will be France's next PM?
The quest for a new government continues in France. President Macron has made it clear that despite the victory of the the leftist New Popular Front in the parliamentary elections, he refuses to nominate any of its members for the post of prime minister. He also rejected proposals from right-wing parties. According to press reports, former EU Commissioner Michel Barnier is currently under discussion for the post. Europe's press reflects on the complex situation.
From farce to tragedy
L'Opinion is appalled:
“We thought we had said all that needed to be said about the incomprehensible decision to dissolve parliament and the president's worrying inability to appoint a new prime minister: a shadow theatre, a tabloid scandal, a tragicomedy. ... But the farce continues, the drama is taking over. ... To protect his track record and secure his power, the sorcerer's apprentice at the Elysée Palace is trying, with deliberate opacity, to compose a cohabitation scenario that ignores the priorities of a country that has been bled dry. Worse still, he is fuelling a dawdling course that will exacerbate the impending budgetary and security crises.”
Irresponsibility on all sides
It is not only the president who is to blame, says Les Echos:
“The other party mainly responsible for this deadlock is the 'front de refus' or 'rejection front', consisting of the leftist alliance Nouveau Front populaire and the Rassemblement National. It is truly reckless to trivialise votes of no confidence by announcing them a priori. ... The great political paradox is that the majority of voters erected what is commonly known as a republican firewall against the party of Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella in the July run-off elections to prevent them from winning the office of prime minister, but now it is they who have ended up as the kingmakers.”
Follow Poland's example
France needs a politician like Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk, writes Adam Hsakou of the US think tank German Marshall Fund in Le Figaro:
“This 'political animal' has been able to rise to the occasion when the going got tough. In 2023, he united an extremely diverse camp around reforms that go beyond the rigid vested interests of political apparatuses. ... France must now produce its own Donald Tusk. Regardless of his background or the camp he comes from, he must be able to lead a diverse coalition and tackle the country's main problems in the areas of purchasing power, employment, health, security, immigration and environmental protection.”
Chaos in parliament better than on the streets
Ouest-France urges:
“The pretext of the Olympic Games, the will to avoid a crisis while the world was looking at France and the summer inertia were responsible for this bizarre spell without a government. But that moment has passed. It is high time to exit the impasse and summon a prime minister to Matignon. Even if he or she only stays a few weeks. ... Perhaps a few governments will need to collapse for all sides to seek genuine compromise - but something must shift. If only to avoid the idea taking hold in our country that there is no longer any point in voting. And because a chaotic return to parliament is better than a chaotic return to the streets.”
Holding out for new elections
Corriere della Sera sees a completely deadlocked situation:
“The obvious aim of the head of state, who in the French system is not a referee but a player in his own right, is to divide the left and exclude the extreme La France insoumise from this new round of consultations. But the allies aren't biting. ... If before it looked like an impasse, now it looks like a quagmire and it's unclear how Macron intends to pull the French out. In the meantime people are increasingly resigned to the idea of a provisional government until new elections are held.”
President misunderstands his role
Macron has always taken a dim view of political parties, the Tagesspiegel recalls:
“Once again he is making this clear in considering who from the Social Democratic spectrum to appoint as prime minister - someone who in turn will be rejected by the left-wing alliance. Macron would probably prefer a technocrat who has no party behind him at all, and who has no interest in alternative politics. He forgets that it is not the president who has to secure a majority in parliament, but the prime minister. France now has a real institutional migraine.”
No room for compromise
The French political system lacks a culture of compromise, the Financial Times remarks:
“There is no tradition of coalition building or drawing up programmatic contracts, as in many other European countries. None of the main parties has seriously tried to find common ground with others on policy over the summer. The left wrongly assumed that it won the election and has the right to wield power against the majority. The centre-right has issued a list of untouchable policy demands. Macron's centrists have been the most open - as long as their achievements are left alone.”
Mélenchon unpalatable for most
Jutarnji list analyses the situation of the far left La France insoumise (LFI):
“It is the party that got the most votes within the leftist alliance, which why it would be logical if it were to provide the next French prime minister. But even party leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon knows that this is a mission impossible because his views are far left and that he is the most hated politician for most French voters. Many think he is an extremist and an antisemite. At the same time, he is the untouchable leader of the extreme left. Other members of the left are also aware that his candidature would not be accepted. But people thought that Lucie Castets would fit the bill. ”