French left rejects Macron’s call for unity Tensions rise Ahead of 2024 Olympics

In the wake of parliamentary elections, the New Popular Front (NFP), a coalition of the hard-left France Unbowed (LFI) party along with the Socialist, Green, and Communist parties, emerged with the most seats but fell short of a majority.

This result has left France in a precarious political situation as it prepares to host the Olympic Games in just over two weeks and while President Emmanuel Macron is in Washington for a NATO summit, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.

In a recent open letter to the French public, President Macron claimed that “nobody won” the election, urging parties to collaborate on forming a broad coalition under his centrist Prime Minister, Gabriel Attal. Macron’s appeal for unity has been met with criticism from the leftist alliance.

Olivier Faure, leader of the Socialist Party, accused Macron of disregarding the will of the French electorate, while Jean-Luc Mélenchon, head of the LFI, condemned Macron’s approach as reminiscent of “the return of the royal veto.” Sophie Binet, the head of France’s largest trade union federation, the CGT, likened Macron’s stance to that of the French king Louis XVI, who was executed during the French Revolution, symbolizing a disconnect from the people’s demands.

Macron’s letter explicitly excluded both the NFP and the far-right National Rally (RN) from potential coalition talks, focusing instead on building a government from more centrist and moderate factions. The NFP, which successfully blocked the RN from gaining power, now faces a challenge in forming a coalition government with each political bloc controlling approximately one-third of the seats in the chamber.

Francois Bayrou, a Macron ally, emphasized that a national unity government cannot be formed with just one faction, highlighting the difficulties in achieving a functional coalition. Meanwhile, the conservative Republicans (LR) party, now reduced to 40 seats, have rejected participation in a coalition government but might offer parliamentary support.

Marine Le Pen, leader of the RN and a three-time presidential candidate, dismissed Macron’s appeal as a “disgraceful circus,” focusing instead on her strategy for the 2027 presidential election.

Economic concerns are also on the rise, with financial markets jittery over the potential for credit downgrades due to France’s substantial debt of over three trillion euros. Bank of France governor Francois Villeroy de Galhau warned against the NFP’s economic proposals, which include increasing the minimum wage, raising taxes on corporations and the wealthy, and reversing Macron’s pension reforms.

Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire stated that France needs to implement 25 billion euros in cuts this year to address the EU’s deficit requirements and achieve a target deficit of 5.1 percent of GDP, still above the eurozone’s three-percent limit.

The prospect of a leftist government has further strained France’s creditworthiness, with investors demanding higher returns on French government bonds compared to Germany, though still lower than Spain.