Olympics over, Macron walks a tightrope in search for new prime minister

Lara BULLENS

23 August 2024 at 11:14 am·1-min read

A political whirlwind summer saw French President Emmanuel Macron dissolving parliament, calling snap elections, and then facing a hung National Assembly. It is now time for him to undo the political Gordian knot he has tied and choose the next prime minister. A handful of potential picks are under scrutiny in talks that began Friday and should conclude in a white smoke announcement as soon as Monday evening – if all goes well.

Caught in the midst of political pandemonium that was temporarily put on pause for an “Olympic truce”, French President Emmanuel Macron has finally rolled up his sleeves and decided to tackle the beast ahead.

A day after the Olympic Games ended on August 12, Macron was thanking organisers in a speech outside the Elysée Palace when he expressed some dread over the weeks ahead by admitting he did not want “life to get back to normal”.

Normality returned with a bang on Friday, when he kicked off tense talks with French party leaders and senior members to try to find a prime minister, six weeks after the July 7 second round of legislative elections.

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