Macron Talks With NFP Figures In Effort To Reach Agreement On New PM

President Emmanuel Macron has held talks with senior figures as he seeks to appoint a new PM more than a month-and-a-half since the 7 July legislative election. Figures from the parties forming the left-wing New Popular Front (NFP), the largest bloc in the National Assembly, have been the first to meet Macron.

• Le Monde reportscomments from the leaders of the centre-left Socialist Party (PS), environmentalist Ecologists, and the far-left La France Insoumise (LFI) and Communist Party (PCF) indicating that Macron "recognized that to the extremely clear question he had asked the French people – "Do you want cohabitation [president and PM from different parties]?" – he was forced to recognize that the answer had been yes".
• Rosie Birchard at DW posts on X, "We may have a [PM] name by Tue — pre-paralympics — but still unclear who. The NFP’s Lucie Castets says the job should be hers, but would likely be toppled quickly. [NFP] now accuse Macron of “dithering” instead of “drawing consequences.” Infighting in the group, which spans centre to far left, plus threats to topple a Castets-led govt are points which count against them in talks. Ultimately Macron can choose whoever he wants as PM, even a technocrat."
• The NFP's insistence that LFI will play a part in any gov't they lead is likely to result in a censure motion in the National Assembly that sees the gov't ousted. The centrist Ensemble, conservative Les Republicains, and right-wing Rassembelement Nationalhave said they would look to oust any such gov't.