France’s Macron holds talks with key political players in a bid to form new government

French President Macron navigates political challenges post-Olympics, seeking new Prime Minister amid hung Parliament and social tensions.

After the excitement of the Paris Olympics and a Mediterranean vacation, now French President Emmanuel Macron has to figure out how to make his country governable again.

Faced with a hung Parliament, social tensions and ballooning debt, Mr. Macron kicked off talks Friday (August 23, 2024) with key political players in a bid to choose a new Prime Minister who would form a Government and end the deadlock created by snap legislative elections last month.

Members of the left-wing New Popular Front coalition that won the most seats pressured Mr. Macron for a quick decision. Their nominee for Prime Minister, little-known civil servant Lucie Castets, said after Friday's meetings in the Elysee Palace that she was ready to govern and ready for compromise to get things done.

But the party only has about a third of the seats in the National Assembly, France's powerful lower house of parliament, and no party has a majority. Mr. Macron’s centrist alliance came in second and the far-right National Rally came in third.

There's no rulebook that requires Mr. Macron to name a candidate from the party that won the most seats, or lay out a timeline for a decision. The absence of any dominant political bloc is unprecedented in France’s modern Republic.

Centrists and conservatives are also meeting with Macron on Friday (August 23, 2024), while national rally leaders Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella are expected at the Elysee on Monday.

Mr. Macron’s office said he will name a Prime Minister based on these consultations, which are aimed at “moving towards the broadest and most stable majority possible.”