Macron Says French Caretaker Govt to Stay on Through Olympics

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Facts

  • French Pres. Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday in his first broadcast interview after parliamentary elections held earlier this month that he will not appoint a new prime minister until after the Paris Olympics, whose opening ceremony is scheduled for Friday.1
  • This means that the caretaker government of outgoing Prime Minister Gabriel Attal will remain in power at least until Aug. 11, as no party or coalition has a majority at the newly elected National Assembly.2
  • Earlier on Tuesday, the leftist, four-party New Popular Front (NFP) coalition — the largest bloc in the chamber with 193 seats — put forward Lucie Castets as their candidate for prime minister.3
  • She is a civil servant who currently works with the Paris Mayor's office overseeing finance and procurement, and hails from neither the Socialists nor France Unbowed (LFI) — the two main parties in the alliance.4
  • Macron called a day earlier for a political truce during the Summer Games on the pretext of stability, to ensure that the major sporting event he described as a 'life lesson' would not be spoiled by political disputes.5
  • Under the French Constitution, the power to name a prime minister rests solely on the president. There is no legal deadline for the appointment, and parliament cannot bring down the caretaker government in the meantime.6

Sources: 1BBC News, 2POLITICO, 3France 24, 4Financial Times, 5Le Monde.fr and 6Bloomberg.

Narratives

  • Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by New York Times. The leftist bloc may have agreed on Lucie Castets as their candidate for prime minister for now, but it's uncertain how long their coalition will endure as the Socialists and LFI remain at odds. Given that the Socialist Party is likely to soon break away from its radical allies and join a mainstream coalition, Macron is right to wait.
  • Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Spectator (UK). Macron is on a dangerous path against both the leftist New Popular Front and the right-wing National Rally in a desperate power grab after his camp suffered a massive defeat in legislative elections. As he does so, he denies democracy and undermines the republic's institutions and the sovereignty of the people.

Predictions