The French president made the widely anticipated announcement in an interview on Tuesday. Just before his appearance, the NFP, the left-wing coalition that won the most votes in the legislative elections, proposed a little-known civil servant, Lucie Castets, as prime minister.
French President Emmanuel Macron said Tuesday he would maintain a centrist caretaker government until the Olympics to avoid “disorder,” brushing aside the last-minute appointment of a prime minister by the country’s left-wing coalition.
Mr Macron made the widely anticipated announcement in a televised interview late Tuesday. Just before his appearance, the New Popular Front – the left-wing coalition that won the most votes in this month’s parliamentary elections – chose a little-known civil servant, Lucie Castets, as prime minister.
However, Mr Macron told France 2 that the current government, who resigned last week to assume a purely interim role, “would handle day-to-day affairs during the Olympic Games,” which are taking place in Paris and other cities in France until August 11.
“Until mid-August, we are not in a position to be able to change things because we would create disorder,” Macron said. “Our responsibility is that these Games go well. So, I have chosen stability.”
There is no clear timetable for Mr Macron to appoint a new prime minister, following legislative elections that left the National Assembly without a dominant political bloc in power. for the first time in the modern Republic of France.
Asked about the choice of the left-wing coalition, Mr Macron said: “That is not the issue, it is not a name, the question. The question is: what majority can emerge in the Assembly.”
France has been on the brink of government paralysis since elections to the National Assembly resulted in a split between the three main political blocs: the left-wing New Popular Front, Mr Macron’s centrist allies and Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally.
Mr Macron, whose presidential term runs until 2027, has the final say on who will be prime minister. But that person will need enough support from lawmakers to avoid a vote of no confidence.
Mr Macron urged politicians from the moderate left, centre and moderate right to work together, citing a “responsibility to find compromises” during the summer, arguing that without an absolute majority, none of the main blocs can implement their political agenda.
The left stands up against “the suspension of democracy”
Leaders of the left-wing coalition parties immediately criticised Mr Macron’s reluctance to consider their candidate for prime minister.
The left-wing coalition has repeatedly claimed the right to form a government after winning the largest number of seats in the National Assembly, but deep internal divisions have prevented its members from agreeing on a candidate for prime minister for more than two weeks. The coalition is made up of four main parties: France Insoumise (hard left), the Socialists, the Communists and the Greens.
On Tuesday, they appeared to rush to propose Castets before Mr Macron gave his first television interview since the election.
Following President Macron’s comments, the leader of La France Insoumise, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, declared on X that “the president refuses the result of the election and wants (…) to force us to renounce our program to form an alliance with him. That is out of the question. Respect the vote of the French people.”
“Emmanuel Macron must come out of denial,” said Marine Tondelier, president of the Green Party. “We have won, we have a program, we have a Prime Minister. (…) The President cannot obstruct it like that.”
Ms Castets, a 37-year-old senior civil servant, is a graduate of Sciences Po, the École nationale d’administration and the London School of Economics. She has worked at the Treasury and Tracfin, the anti-money laundering unit of the Ministry of Finance.
The New Popular Front described her as “a leader of associative struggles for the defense and promotion of public services, actively involved in the battle of ideas against raising the retirement age to 64.” They also highlighted her efforts in the fight against tax fraud and financial crime.
Sébastien Chenu, vice-president of the National Rally (far right), criticised the selection of Ms Castets, calling it a “joke in bad taste”.
Last year, Mr Macron struggled to push through an unpopular plan to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64, sparking months of mass protests that damaged his leadership.
