French left-wing parties clash over Prime Minister nominee As government resignation looms

France's left-wing parties engaged in a fierce dispute on Tuesday, July 16, over who should be their candidate for prime minister.

Communist party leader Fabien Roussel warned that their internal conflict could lead to a "shipwreck," despite recent electoral successes, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

President Emmanuel Macron is expected to accept the resignation of the current government, led by centrist Gabriel Attal, allowing ministers elected as lawmakers to take their seats in parliament when it convenes on Thursday.

The New Popular Front (NFP), an alliance including socialists, Greens, the communist party, and the hard-left France Unbowed, was formed hastily before the snap elections on June 30 and July 7. Despite topping the vote, the NFP did not secure an absolute majority, and long-standing tensions among the parties have resurfaced over the leadership of a potential left-wing government.

Adding to the complexity, President Macron has urged mainstream parties to form a coalition government, potentially involving some NFP members but excluding France Unbowed.

"If we don't manage to find a solution in the hours, the days, to come, it would be a shipwreck," Roussel told a French TV channel, describing the current state of negotiations as "deplorable."

The NFP parties, which outperformed Macron's centrists and Marine Le Pen's far-right in the snap election, have each proposed various candidates for the prime minister role, only to face rejections from within the alliance.

Macron is set to accept Prime Minister Gabriel Attal's resignation on Tuesday evening, according to a source at the Elysee Palace. Macron has also instructed ministers to remain in their current roles and continue their duties.

This resignation would allow Attal and other government members, including Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, to assume their parliamentary roles and participate in the election of the parliament's president on Thursday.

In the interim, the government would function in a caretaker capacity until a new cabinet is appointed, managing current affairs and emergencies but unable to propose new legislation or make significant changes. Ensuring the smooth running of the upcoming Olympics, starting on July 26, would be among its responsibilities.

Although France has had caretaker governments before, none has remained in place for more than a few days.