The far right took a different approach. National Rally leader Jordan Bardella accused Macron of ignoring the millions of people who voted for his party by excluding it from the meeting.
Retaining control
With some of the most radical forces removed from the negotiation table, Macron’s hopes lie in convincing the remaining parties to refrain from voting on no-confidence motions like the one that last week brought down Prime Minister Michel Barnier.
The most discussed candidates for prime minister — which include the former Justice Minister François Bayrou and current Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu — are from Macron’s coalition, signaling his desire to preserve some control and safeguard his policies, including the unpopular pensions reform that a majority of lawmakers want to overturn.
But the Greens, Socialists and Communists demand that any new government be led by their pan-left New Popular Front coalition, which won the most seats in July’s election ― and includes France Unbowed.
It’s still unclear whether Macron still has the political clout to broker a deal at a time when a majority of French citizens now want him to resign.
The National Assembly remains just as divided as it was in the summer, when Macron miscalculated and called snap elections that delivered a hung parliament. He picked Barnier in September, hoping that the former EU Brexit negotiator would be able to navigate the tricky political situation given his reputation as an effective dealmaker.
It didn’t work. With Barnier gone and France lacking both a government and a proper budget for next year, Paris is looking to reassure financial markets by pushing forward a stopgap measure to avoid a shutdown.
Anthony Lattier contributed to this report.
