Paris politics heats up as left pushes for power and impeachment

RFI

20 August 2024 at 12:13 pm·1-min read

The heated fray of French politics has reignited since the close of the Olympics, with the hard left rallying for power and some factions even pushing to impeach President Emmanuel Macron.

The left-wing coalition, the New Popular Front (NFP), is hosting a series of "summer schools" to promote their candidate for prime minister, Lucie Castets.

The NFP, which includes the Communists (PCF), Ecologists and Jean-Luc Melenchon's hard left France Unbowed (LFI) is hosting conferences to discuss how to form a viable coalition.

Castets will be speaking at events across the country, including engagements with the Ecologists in Tours, the PCF in Montpellier, the LFI in Valence and the Socialist Party in Blois.

However, the NFP’s unity is fragile. Melenchon and his LFI are threatening to start an impeachment process against Macron, who is hesitant to appoint a far-left prime minister and appears to favour candidates from the moderate left or centre-right.

Impeachment – how realistic?

In the United States, impeachment is a well-established process embedded in the constitution. The president (and other top officials) are removed from office in case of "treason, bribery or other high crimes and misdemeanours".

In France, however, the ability to impeach a president is a relatively new concept, introduced in 2007 and strengthened in 2014 under president François Hollande.

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Impeachment – how realistic?

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