Macron Hears Pitches From French Parties Vying for Premier Job
(Bloomberg) -- Emmanuel Macron kicked off a series of meetings with French political party leaders as the president prepares to name a new prime minister and end weeks of uncertainty after snap elections delivered a hung parliament.
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First up on Friday was the leftist New Popular Front alliance, which won the biggest number of seats in the legislative vote and has claimed the right to propose a premier.
Their candidate, Lucie Castets, told reporters after the meeting in Paris that she was willing to make compromises to govern, though an aide to the president said Macron was skeptical about choosing her as she would be vulnerable to a no-confidence motion in parliament.
“I stand ready today to build coalitions, to discuss with the other political forces to try to find a way to ensure the country’s stability and finally respond to the urgent needs expressed by the French people,” she said, flanked by leaders of the parties in the alliance.
Macron is also speaking with centrists, the center-right Republicans and the Radical Party on Friday. Before announcing his choice, he is due to hold further talks on Monday with far-right leaders, as well as the heads of the Senate and National Assembly.
The president’s decision to call a snap vote after his group was trounced by the far right in European Parliament elections triggered a major selloff in French assets and led to weeks of political uncertainty. French stocks tanked relative to the rest of the European Union and have yet to recover. The spread of 10-year French debt over equivalent German bunds, a measure of perceived additional risks, has also barely declined.
The representatives of the New Popular Front — bringing together Socialists, Greens, Communists and the far-left France Unbowed — told Macron they want an answer on Tuesday as to whether he will nominate Castets, Greens leader Marine Tondelier told reporters. Castets said the president had indicated only that his decision would be quick.
The president, whose role it is to appoint a new prime minister, has said he wants parties that represent “republican forces” to build a broad majority from the political center, with Macron typically excluding the National Rally and France Unbowed from that group. Parliament can bring down a government via a no-confidence motion if a premier doesn’t have enough support.
This suggests that Castets, a civil servant and economist working at Paris City Hall, may not be a suitable candidate for Macron.
Several other names have come up in recent weeks.
Rising Socialist
Karim Bouamrane, the media-savvy Socialist mayor of Saint-Ouen, a Parisian suburb, has unexpectedly emerged as a frontrunner in the media after his town hosted athletes during the Paris Olympics. The 51-year-old moderate, the son of a Moroccan stonemason, has gained attention for his criticism of the more radical France Unbowed.
Despite the media buzz, Bouamrane has announced his support for Castets, and a Macron aide confirmed he won’t be participating in the upcoming political meetings.
Socialist Veteran
Another name gaining traction is 61-year-old Bernard Cazeneuve. He served as prime minister from 2016 to 2017 under Socialist President François Hollande, the shortest tenure in the history of the Fifth Republic, which began in 1958.
Often characterized as centrist-leaning, the former interior minister left the Socialist Party two years ago to found his own movement in protest against its alliance with France Unbowed.
Moderate, Old-School Conservatives
Macron may find it easier to appoint a moderate right-wing prime minister who could garner support from centrists, the right, and even the far right in the National Assembly, making the person less vulnerable to a no-confidence vote.
Michel Barnier, a seasoned politician with a reputation for moderation, could be a strong candidate, with experience as a minister, EU commissioner, and the European Union’s chief Brexit negotiator. The 73-year-old sought to represent the Republicans in the 2022 presidential election, but struggled to gain sufficient backing.
Another possibility is Jean-Louis Borloo, also 73, a former lawmaker and minister under conservative President Nicolas Sarkozy. However, his prospects might be dimmed by a public rebuke from Macron, who once dismissed a report Borloo had prepared on improving deprived suburbs — an initiative Macron had commissioned himself.
Former Labor Minister Xavier Bertrand, 59, the Republican president of the northern region of Hauts-de-France, has also positioned himself as a potential contender.
If one of these candidates were chosen, it would mark a surprising return to power for the party of Sarkozy. Yet, Macron has been gradually leaning in that direction. Since losing an absolute majority in parliament two years ago, the president has frequently relied on conservative lawmakers to pass key legislation.
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