Macron after election defeat: "Nobody won it"
After the election loss for Macron's camp, French President Emmanuel Macron speaks out for the first time: A absolute majority could only have been achieved by the "republican forces," he wrote to the French and Frenchwomen. The election results reveal a "clear will for change and more participation in power," Macron acknowledged.
Three days after the unexpected parliamentary election, French President Emmanuel Macron commented on its results for the first time in a letter to the French and Frenchwomen. "No one has won," he emphasized. "Only the 'republican forces' could have had an absolute majority." The election results indicate a "clear will for change and more participation in power," Macron conceded.
The President appealed to "all political forces that recognize the republican institutions, the rule of law, and a pro-European position" to engage in dialogue to find a majority. The French have decided for a "republican front," Macron stressed.
The "republican front" previously referred to left and right forces coming together to prevent a victory for right-wing populists, such as through tactical withdrawals of candidates. Regarding the appointment of the Prime Minister, Macron wrote, "I will decide based on these principles." Indirectly, he thus rejected the Left Front, which claims the right to name a candidate but has not yet agreed on one. The current government will remain in office in the meantime, Macron confirmed. The letter was published as Macron had already traveled to Washington for the NATO summit.
The Left Front remains united
It was expected that Macron would try to form a large coalition of the center with moderate forces from the left and right camps. However, all potential participants seem to be at odds with each other at the moment. Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin and a group of deputies spoke in favor of a broad coalition. The newly elected leader of the conservative Republicans, Laurent Wauquiez, however, rejected this outright. And the Left Front, which has the largest group of rejected left-populists, remains united.
Coalition negotiations, like in Germany, are currently impossible in France, as the membership of individual deputies has not even been clarified in many cases. The fog should lift by July 18, and deputies can then form factions, which, however, do not necessarily correspond to the pre-election alliances. A minimum of 15 deputies must come together. The Left Front is expected to split into several factions. By Thursday of the coming week, the Left is also planning to propose a candidate for the position of Prime Minister.
Meanwhile, the newly elected deputies of the right-wing populist Rassemblement National (RN) met for the first time in the National Assembly. Marine Le Pen was re-elected as their faction leader. Her faction comprises at least 123 deputies, significantly more than the 88 before the dissolution of the National Assembly.
Le Pen complains about "maneuvers" by other alliances
Le Pen criticized the maneuvers of other alliances during her first speech as the leader of the RN faction in the National Assembly. She accused Macron of trying to form a "grand coalition" with the center-right Republicans and the Socialist Party to prevent the RN from participating in government. Le Pen also accused the Socialist Party of trying to form a coalition with the Republicans to exclude the RN. She warned that such maneuvers would only lead to further instability in French politics.
Macron's office responded by stating that the President was open to dialogue with all political forces that recognize the republican institutions, the rule of law, and a pro-European position. The President's focus was on forming a stable government that could address the challenges facing France, the statement added.
Le Pen criticized once again the tactical retreat of many candidates from other camps, which prevented the victory of some RN candidates in the runoff election on Sunday. "Maneuvers that have deprived us of an absolute majority", she said. She stressed that the RN received the most votes. It is a consequence of the majority voting system in France that the RN has fewer deputies than the Left Front, which received seven million votes less.
RN party leader Jordan Bardella called on the deputies of his party to behave seriously. They must "be absolutely impeccable in their constituencies and in the media", he emphasized. In the group photo, all male deputies wore suits and ties, while female deputies wore dresses or skirt suits.
In the past few days, several RN candidates have attracted attention with provocative statements. For example, the newly elected deputy Daniel Grenon accused the former Education Minister Najat Vallaud-Belkacem of a "loyalty conflict" because she also holds Moroccan nationality. He should not belong to the RN fraction. Macron called for the parliamentary election after the success of the right-wing populists in the European election on June 9. The result was the formation of three political blocs, each of which did not reach an absolute majority and whose programs are hardly compatible with each other.
Following Macron's election loss, he called for unity among republican forces to achieve an absolute majority in parliament, recognizing the French population's desire for change and increased participation in power. The Left Front, comprising rejected left-populists, remains united despite coalition negotiations being challenging due to unclear membership and differing opinions among potential partners. Marine Le Pen, the leader of the right-wing populist Rassemblement National, criticized Macron's attempts to form a coalition with the Left and Center, accusing him of maneuvering to keep her party out of government.
