Senate Pres. Backs ENS-LR Co-op But No Coalition & No Gov't 'Til Sep

President of the Senate Gérard Larcher, hailing from the conservative Les Republicains (LR), has stated this morning that he supports an "independent line" for the party but that LR should form a "legislative pact" with the centrist Ensemble bloc supportive of President Emmanuel Macron in order to pass some legislation. This stance of cooperation but no coalition appears to match language from new parliamentary leader of LR (or as they will be known in the National Assembly, the Republican Right) Laurent Wauquiez.

• Larcher, who when asked by reporters whether rumours about his potential appointment as PM were true said "No. I think that the Senate needs its president today," is believed to have, when talking to President Emmanuel Macron about the election and its fallout, pushed for a longer delay to gov't formation to allow the Olympic and Paralympic games to pass by.
• As noted on 10 July (see 'FRANCE: Macron Ministers Calls For Ensemble-LR Alliance To Outflank NFP', 10 July 0943BST) even under a 'legislative pact' between LR and Ensemble the group would still fall short of a majority in the National Assembly, raising the prospect of successful no confidence votes bringing such a minority gov't down.
• Bruno Retailleau, leader of the LR group in the Senate, sought to downplay the prospect of LR and Ensemble forming a cross-spectrum coalition with the centre-left Socialist Party, saying the PS "signed an ultra-leftist program with LFI" as part of the New Popular Front (NFP) alliance ruling them unfit for gov't.