The head of the executive branch sees his drive to win allies in the National Assembly frustrated in his first meetings with opposition leaders
French President Emmanuel Macron is seeking the magic formula to evade the parliamentary blockade after his party won a relative majority in parliamentary elections last Sunday and the extremes forcibly invaded the new National Assembly. Macron’s and his allies’ coalition gained 245 deputies, far from the 289 seats needed to have an absolute majority and rule without relying on the votes of others.
Concerned about the risk of paralysis in the country and that he will not be able to carry out his reforms in this second term, the head of the executive received this Tuesday at the Elysée, one by one, those responsible for the parliamentary groups of the new National Assembly. The goal is to test the terrain and find out if he can eventually find allies in the Gallic parliament to help him rule. He will receive the rest of the party leaders this Wednesday.
Macron, president-elect on April 24, could form a coalition with another formation or preside over a minority executive and forge alliances, case by case, to pass laws or implement his reforms. From Spain, such a strategy seems normal, but the problem is that in a system as presidential as that of the Fifth Republic, there is no culture of pact. Many French politicians and commentators question whether the country is ungovernable with this National Assembly configuration.
“We are opening a new chapter today (this Tuesday). The French voted and gave us a disassembled piece of furniture without giving us any instructions. This means negotiating, acting differently, moving forward,” explains Clément Beaune, Secretary of State for European Affairs. Former Prime Minister Édouard Philippe believed that “we need to listen to what the voters have said” in the polls, in both the presidential and parliamentary elections. “The president of the republic has been re-elected and no one can challenge his legitimacy,” added the chairman of the Horizontes party, which is part of the Macronist bloc in the National Assembly. Philippe believes the solution would be through “a grand coalition”, as “the French want political leaders to work together”.
The formula for getting out of this unprecedented situation in French parliamentary life does not seem easy to find. Republican leader (moderate right) Christian Jacob gave Macron pumpkins again on Tuesday. He rejected that his party, which has 61 seats, is an ally of the macronistas. The two parties would jointly have an absolute majority.
“I have again told the president that it is not for us to participate in what could be betrayal of our constituents. We have campaigned in the opposition, we remain in the opposition in a determined and responsible manner,” the Conservative chief said. Jacob believes that the ball is now in the court of the President of the Republic. “He is the one who asked for this meeting. It is he who must put the proposals on the table,” the Republican leader said.
Olivier Faure, First Secretary of the Socialist Party, was in favor of looking at what should be done on a case by case basis, by law. “For example, if Macron prepares to raise the minimum wage to 1,500 euros, we are available,” Faure said. The socialist leader believes that the president should “choose the path, make proposals and we’ll see which way the balance goes”.
During her visit to the Elysee Palace, far-right Marine Le Pen promised the president that Regrouping National, which will have 89 seats in the National Assembly, “will be in opposition and not in systematic obstruction”. But he made it clear that they will vote against the pension reform. Unlike Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of the left-wing trade union (Nupes), Le Pen is not asking for the head of Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne. The far-right leader believes Macron’s policies should change.
French confidence in their head of government has fallen by two points this month, standing at 41%, according to an Ifop-Fiducial survey published Tuesday and held just before the second round of parliamentary elections.
Source: La Verdad
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