There is an opening, but the road to an agreement is still long. Two days from the fall of the Barnier government, the French socialists they said they were willing to support a new government, but on the condition that there was no right-wing prime minister that they would not accept "under any circumstances." He told reporters Oliver Faure at the end of the meeting held this morning at the Elysée, during which the Socialist Party softened its positions on the pension reform, saying he was open to a “freeze” and no longer calling for a repeal.
How did the meeting between Macron and the socialists go?
In addition to the semi-openness on pensions, Faure is said to have expressed his willingness to discuss other points as well, but he made a firm request: the prime minister will have to be a socialist. Macron, according to French media, has relaunched: "no prime minister until the socialists break with the New Popular Front". The leader of the PS has however denied this reconstruction, assuring that the French president "has not placed any preconditions on any subject", although it seems difficult to think that the tenant of the Elysée is willing to compromise with Melenchon (and vice versa).
The left-wing allies, for their part, have not taken the new position of the socialists well, even though, according to the leader of the PS, the will to collaborate in the formation of the government does not represent, in his opinion, a betrayal of the New Popular Front, – the alliance that brings together several parties, including Jean-Luc Mélenchon's La France Insoumise, the Communist Party and Les Écologistes. Faure added that the head of state has committed "to call the other three groups today of the Popular Front (NFP) to suggest that they start a debate”.
Before the meeting at the Elysée, the French Socialist Party had said it was available to discuss with Macron's coalition and the right on the basis of “mutual concessions” in view of the formation of a new government which however will be born on the basis of "a fixed-term contract”.
Macron: "New PM not before Monday"
Today, Macron has already received a coalition of his party and will also meet representatives of the right in the early afternoon. At the moment, neither the Elysée nor the Rassemblement National of Marine Le Pen, nor the far left of Insubordinate France, nor ecologists and communists.
Macron spoke last night of announcing the new prime minister “in the next few days”, but according to French broadcaster TF1-LCI, the nomination will not arrive before Monday.
Melenchon: “No mandate for Faure to negotiate with Macron”
“La France Insoumise (LFI) has not given any mandate to Olivier Faure (PS), neither to show up alone at this meeting (with the President of the Republic, ed.), nor to negotiate an agreement and make 'reciprocal concessions' to Macron and LR. Nothing he says or does is in our name or that of the PFN (New Popular Front)”, Jean-Luc Melenchon, leader of LFI, polemically stated this morning.
