French President Emmanuel Macron ruled out naming a prime minister from the leftist New Popular Front alliance and will instead start a new round of consultations on Tuesday with parties to try to form a new government, Macron's office said.
Most main figures or the center parties came out of the bush and admitted they wouldn't work with a Left government, even after its most radical component (LFI) proposed not playing an active role in this hypothetical government
Macron is actually imposing a majority government of his party. He is now excluding the far right and LFI from discussions. Which leaves his party the biggest one he accept to talk with. If they make a coalition, which I imagine is what he will suggest they do, his party will be the biggest of the coalition.
Meanwhile, as long as he fuck around like this, the old government still governs like nothing happened.
How can it be a majority government if his party is the second largest after NFP and before RN? Without NFP nor RN, isn't it by definition a minority government?
If the NFP doesn't break up, then that doesn't sound like a path forward. From what I've heard, French media, Macron, and his party have been painting LFI to be worse than RN for some reason that I can't understand.
Probably he'll blame the NFP for not wanting to break up with LFI and say they're at fault for hindering a coalition. I bet that's his next move.
That, or he's still fantasising that he can controle the situation and win through "political wits" and authority.
I'm speculating, but I feel like if his party doesn't rule, Macron will completely lose controle over it. So he's doing absolutely everything he can for that to not happen. But he will have to face reality at some point. Unfortunately the 5th Republic of France doesn't encourage him to be reasonable.
To the best of my understanding, NFP campaigned together but that doesn't mean they they necessarily must govern together. I.e. Macron is trying to pick and choose which parties from NFP he is willing to work with.
The problem is the "left government" has adopted the most radical component's entire program (except on nuclear energy and some foreign topics).
If a different minister passes the same "we will tax all french abroad and raises marginal tax to 90%" law, doesn't really changes anything to the bottom line.
Except the US tax rate is much lower. Paying the sky high French taxes while getting zero in public services in return (unlike actual French tax residents) is basically robbery.
The left also doesn't want to work with his party. Both Mélenchon and Castes have made it clear it would be their program and only their program and that they would not ally with the presidential party which they blame for everything wrong.
I'd also not be looking to work closely with a center block that will water down your plans, take credit for all things good while you see your most important points being stonewalled. Both the right and left can just rail against this and next elections the polarization will just be bigger.
Sure but if you don't have a majority and need to ally with someone else you have to water down your plans, there's no other way around it. Neither sides want to partner, but the center is probably more comfortable having no real government and keeping the status quo for the next two years than the left is.