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What to do with the chaos in French politics? Macron calls for a "political truce at the Olympics"

2024-07-24

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[Text/Guaguanwang Wang Shichun] French politics is currently in turmoil. Macron failed to dissolve the parliamentary elections ahead of schedule, and the current French government has become a caretaker government. However, French President Macron tried to delay the caretaker government until after the Olympics and called for an "Olympic political truce"

According to Reuters, the Financial Times, and France 24 News website on July 23, the 33rd Summer Olympic Games will be held in Paris, France on July 26. President Macron commented on the current domestic political situation in France on the evening of the 23rd local time, saying that a new French government will not be appointed before the end of the Paris Olympics. The French people want to take a break and hope that people will turn their attention to the Olympics and achieve a "political truce" during the period.

But this means that the appointment of the French prime minister and the formation of a new government will be further delayed, and Macron may have to wait until the end of the Olympics on August 11 to appoint a new French prime minister.

The current political situation in France remains chaotic. Since French President Macron dissolved the lower house of parliament last month, the country has been in a "fight between the left and the right", with the left, the far right and the centrists each operating in their own camps, and they have not yet reached a consensus on the candidate for prime minister.

In the European Parliament elections in June this year, the French ruling Ennahda Party was defeated by the far-right National Rally. In order to curb challenges from within and outside the party and prepare for the 2027 presidential election, Macron chose a political gamble, dissolving the National Assembly and holding early elections.

But the election results were unexpected. The French Ministry of the Interior announced the election results on the 8th of this month, showing that the left-wing party alliance "New Popular Front" won 182 seats out of 577 seats in the National Assembly, becoming the largest political faction in the National Assembly. The ruling party camp won 168 seats and ranked second. The far-right party National Rally and its allies won 143 seats and ranked third.

The Associated Press previously commented that none of the three major political factions won an absolute majority of seats (289 seats), which means that France needs any two factions to form a coalition government, and it is difficult for any two of the three parties to form an alliance.

As a "left-wing caravan", the "New Popular Front" is mainly composed of the far-left "Unbowed France" party, the relatively moderate Socialist Party, the Green Party and the French Communist Party. Although the "New Popular Front" won the legislative elections, there are constant divisions within the left, and the various parties have not yet reached a consensus on the prime ministerial candidate.

On July 13, the Socialist Party rejected a proposal by Huguette Bello, a former member of the National Assembly and current president of the regional council of the French overseas territory of Reunion, to become prime minister. Bello had the overwhelming support of the French Communist Party and "France Unbowed", so the Socialist Party's move angered the two parties.

Subsequently, the Socialist Party nominated veteran climate negotiator Laurence Tubiana as a possible candidate for prime minister, but this proposal was immediately criticized by "Indomitable France", which said that Tubiana had a close relationship with Macron and that "this proposal is not serious". On the same day, "Indomitable France" accused the Socialist Party of undermining the negotiations of the left-wing coalition on the prime ministerial candidate in a statement. Subsequently, Tubiana withdrew from the election on the 22nd.

The Financial Times commented that, given the huge differences among the parties in the left-wing coalition in some aspects, it has become very sensitive to who will be the new prime minister, and it is very easy to trigger a vote of no confidence in parliament. This has also caused French society to question the left-wing coalition, saying that although it has won an unexpectedly huge victory, it is simply unable to fulfill the responsibilities of the largest party.

But just before Macron's speech, the French left finally found a consensus candidate, an unknown economist and senior civil servant Lucie Castets. Castets, who works for the Paris city government, is relatively unknown to the French public. The 37-year-old told AFP that she accepted the nomination "with great humility but also with great conviction" and believed that she was a "serious and credible candidate for prime minister."

However, Castex's policies have sparked dissatisfaction among other forces. Castex added that one of her top priorities will be to "repeal the pension reform that Macron pushed through last year," which has sparked widespread protests and dissatisfaction. Macron also "warned" the French left-wing prime minister candidate on the 23rd that the left-wing party alliance did not win an absolute majority in the National Assembly, so the camp cannot implement its policies based on its own will. He called on the major parties to reach a compromise on major issues in parliament.

France is now relying on a caretaker government to maintain the operation of the entire system, with Attal continuing to serve as acting prime minister until the French National Assembly reaches a consensus. On the 16th local time, the French presidential palace issued an announcement stating that French President Macron accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Attal. However, Attal will continue to be in charge of daily affairs until a new government is established.

However, the functions of the caretaker government have been greatly weakened and can only serve as a temporary measure and cannot exist for a long time. Macron still hopes that people can calm down during the Olympics, put aside political dissent, and make the Paris Olympics a moment of "peace, truth and hope."

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