Paris: French President Emmanuel Macron began the search for a new prime minister on Friday, as cracks appeared within the left-wing bloc following signals from the centre-left Socialist Party about their willingness to join a broader government coalition. This development has heightened tensions in France’s already volatile political landscape.
Macron, rejecting calls for his resignation to address the nation’s political deadlock, pointed to the downfall of conservative Prime Minister Michel Barnier as the result of an "anti-republican front" formed by the far-right and extreme-left factions. "We conveyed to him that we want left-wing policies led by a left-wing prime minister," Socialist Party chairman Olivier Faure stated after meeting Macron. He emphasized that the president must recognize this sentiment following Barnier’s controversial appointment.
In a surprising move, Faure expressed readiness to support a broader coalition, citing the damage caused by the current stalemate. However, he categorically ruled out collaborating with another right-wing prime minister. Macron’s allies have long sought to fracture the New Popular Front (NFP), the left-wing coalition uniting Socialists with the more radical France Unbowed (LFI), urging moderates to distance themselves from LFI’s fiery leader, Jean-Luc Mélenchon. Mélenchon, in turn, criticized Faure’s engagement with Macron, denouncing it as unrepresentative of the NFP.
Macron announced in a Thursday evening address that a new prime minister would be named shortly to succeed Barnier, who lost a no-confidence vote over his austere 2025 budget proposal. Yet, it remains unclear how Macron will secure the parliamentary support needed to pass critical legislation or appoint a durable prime minister. France’s soaring budget deficit and the absence of a clear fiscal plan have unnerved financial markets, driving up borrowing costs and intensifying the crisis.
With 66 seats in the National Assembly, the Socialists could play a pivotal role as kingmakers. Their backing might enable Macron to assemble a governing majority capable of resisting no-confidence challenges from Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally and factions within the left. Faure suggested that Macron should also include the Greens and Communists in any coalition effort.
The crisis stems from Macron’s decision to call snap elections in June, which resulted in a hung parliament. Addressing the nation on Thursday, he defiantly rejected blame for the gridlock, arguing that lawmakers brought down the government to advance their own ambitions for the 2027 presidential election. “I’ll never take responsibility for their actions,” he declared, vowing that the next government would push forward with the 2025 budget early in the new year to shield French citizens from the fallout of the political impasse.