French President Emmanuel Macron has said he will decide who will become France’s next prime minister after meeting party leaders and the heads of the country’s parliamentary groups next week.
The head-of-state has invited officials from various centrist and left-wing political groups to attend a consultation with him aimed at the formation of a new government.
“The appointment of a prime minister will follow on from these consultations [on August 23] and their conclusions,” the Élysée said in a statement on August 16.
After legislative elections marked by political fragmentation, Macron has found himself in a tricky situation over putting together a stable majority.
The consultation will aim to “move towards building the broadest and most stable majority possible to serve the country,” his office said.
The announcement came about six weeks after Macron called snap general elections following his party’s defeat in the European Parliament elections.
The president had delayed forming a new government, citing the lack of a clear majority in the National Assembly. There, the left-leaning bloc holds a narrow lead, alongside National Rally and Macron’s own supporters with no group having an absolute majority.
With France at the end of its so-called Olympic truce or “trêve olympique,” President Emmanuel Macron will have to get back to trying to choose a prime minister. https://t.co/PPSd6V8lIx
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) August 13, 2024
For the past month, the Left and the New Popular Front (NFP) alliance, which together boast the largest number of MPs at 193 seats, have been pressing him to appoint senior civil servant Lucie Castets as PM.
Mathilde Panot, leader of the hard-left La France Insoumise (LFI) in the National Assembly, vowed the faction will continue the push during next week’s meeting.
“After his defeat in the legislative elections, Macron wants to receive the country’s political forces on August 23,” she said on X.
“The New Popular Front will go there together to demand that he respect the result of the ballot boxes and appoint Lucie Castets as prime minister.”
Macron had already dismissed Castets as an option on July 23, hinting that the candidate could inhibit the formation of a stable governing coalition.
Après sa défaite aux législatives, Macron veut recevoir les forces politiques du pays le 23 août.
Le Nouveau Front Populaire s’y rendra ensemble pour exiger qu’il respecte le résultat des urnes et nomme @CastetsLucie Première Ministre.
— Mathilde Panot (@MathildePanot) August 16, 2024
