The French president, Emmanuel Macroncontinue with the contacts to designate a stable government and, after the betrayal of the extreme right that took down the conservative prime minister, Michel Barnierstrives to build a pact between moderates before electing a new prime minister.
To this end, he will bring together the country’s main political leaders this Tuesday, with the exception of the leftist Jean-Luc Melenchon and the far right Marine Le Penwho are also the only ones with whom he has not met after the overthrow of Barnier.
The search for this Government of moderates involves, on the one hand, fragment the left alliancewith appeals to responsibility, to leave out its most intransigent component, France Rebellious (LFI) by Mélenchonwho refuses to dialogue with the Elysée and insists that the only way out is Macron’s resignation.
Mélenchon’s party was called to an individual meeting with the president, but the rejectionwhich in the eyes of the Elysée leaves him out of the constructive meeting this Tuesday.
Furthermore, the president’s contacts are directed to dispense with the support of Marine Le Pen’s far-rightwho had promised it to Barnier, but who at the first opportunity preferred to vote together with the left in favor of the motion of censure that took the Government by storm last Wednesday.
Rid of the two extremes of the parliamentary arc, Macron aspires to bring together very different parties around a lowest common denominator, which on paper have irreconcilable positions, but which ensure be willing to sacrifice to break the political blockade that the country is experiencing.
They paraded past the president’s table last Friday macronists, socialists and conservatives. After a weekend truce dedicated to the reopening of the cathedral of Notre Dame five years after its fire, this Monday it was the turn of the small group of regionalistsbut also of the communists and the environmentalists.
At the end of these meetings, the Elysée announced that this Tuesday it will bring together all political leaders, except Le Pen and Mélenchonwhich represents a new presidential strategy that has a first consequence, that of give up a quick replacement at the head of the Governmentas Macron had announced, to face the difficult challenges that await the country. And its result is, furthermore, uncertain, because from the statements of some and others it is clear that there is very little common ground.
As far as the left is concerned, it represents a breakdown of the common front of the parliamentary alliance, since while socialists, communists and environmentalists say they are open to dialogue, Mélenchon continues the strategy of wearing down Macron.
Both the socialist leaders as Tondelier They considered the competition of LFI to be important, which is the majority component of the left alliance, although its 70 deputies would not be essential if the rest of the moderate parties agree. The pact of moderates that Macron seeks would mean 349 deputieswell above the 289 that mark the absolute majority.
Socialists and environmentalists They demanded that the new prime minister come from the leftwinner of the last legislative elections and the only guarantor that there will be a true change of political direction in the country.
The communist leader, Fabien Rousselfor its part, considered it “preferable” but not essential and preferred to emphasize that what is important is that the policies mark a change of orientation. It remains to be seen if these conditions are accepted in the center and the traditional right, whose first statements do not pave the way for agreement.
The conservatives, led by the current acting Interior Minister, Bruno Retailleauassure that they would not accept a prime minister from the left, while the ‘Macronists’headed by the former prime minister Gabriel Attalthey rule out reversing some of the recent reforms, such as delaying the minimum retirement age.
