French election winners accuse Macron of seizing power

 

The president has refused to nominate a new prime minister from the left-green alliance that garnered the most seats in parliament

France’s left-wing New Popular Front (NPF) has expressed its displeasure with President Emmanuel Macron’s decision to rule out nominating its candidate for prime minister after the alliance secured the most seats in the National Assembly following the July election.

Although the alliance won the most seats in the voting, it failed to secure enough to govern, forcing Macron to enter negotiations in order to appoint a new prime minister and form a new government.

The NPF had nominated Lucie Castets, a 37-year-old economist and director of financial affairs at Paris City Hall, as its candidate for prime minister. The NFP is a broad left-wing electoral alliance made up of France Unbowed (LFI), the Socialist Party, the Greens, the Communist Party, and several smaller parties.

Macron, meanwhile, rejected the candidacy of Castets, claiming that “my responsibility is that the country is not blocked or weakened,” the president said in a statement on Monday. He added that a left-wing government would pose a threat to “institutional stability.”  (more...)

French election winners accuse Macron of seizing power