Macron begins crisis talks with party leaders to get government up and running
President Emmanuel Macron kicked off negotiations with party leaders on Friday in a bid to resolve France’s political deadlock, which has persisted for more than six weeks since snap legislative elections left the country with a hung parliament.
The situation has left France in political limbo for 47 days, following the elections on 7 July, which failed to give any party a working majority.
Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, who resigned after the defeat of Macron’s Renaissance party, has continued to lead a caretaker government at Macron’s request to see through the Paris Olympics.
With the Games ending on 11 August, the so-called “Olympic truce” is over, and Macron now faces pressure to appoint a new prime minister capable of forming a stable government.
“Article 8 of the French Constitution states that the president names the prime minister, but it doesn't fix a time frame,” said Arnaud Le Pillouer, a public law specialist at Paris Nanterre University.
Although theoretically France could remain without a premier for one or two years, Le Pillouer told RFI the constitution must be interpreted in light of democratic principles.
“He could name Brigitte Macron as PM, but would that be acceptable in terms of democracy? I doubt it.”
Read more on RFI English
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