French President Emmanuel Macron is open to negotiations with left-wing parties to form a new government that does not depend on Marine Le Pen’s nationalist right.
This is how the meetings held this Monday (9) at the Élysée Palace with communist leaders and environmentalists unfold, in addition to those held last Friday with the socialists.
“He agreed to change his method,” leading environmentalist Marie Tondelier told the press after the meeting, which she described as “satisfactory” because she saw in the head of state “a change of attitude.”
According to Tondelier, the president plans to bring together the different parties with parliamentary representation at a joint negotiating table, with the exception of Le Pen’s National Regroupment (RN).
“Macron realized that Le Pen is a bad partner,” claimed Tondelier, who recalled that the right-wing leader voted in favor of the motion of censure that last Wednesday brought down the government of Michel Barnier, which she had pledged to support.
At this negotiating table, the environmental leader guaranteed that she will be “very demanding” with her proposals, which include that the next prime minister come from the left-wing alliance, the New Popular Front (NFP).
It is not yet known whether the most radical wing of the alliance, France Unsubmissa (LFI), by Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who until now has been reluctant to negotiate with Macron, whose resignation is called for by the group, will be at the table.
“The more of us there are, the more weight we will have,” said Tondelier, calling on his partners, despite their differences with the president, to participate in the negotiation at a time when “France is reaching rock bottom.”
Previously, it was the communist leader, Fabien Roussel, who was received by Macron, who also proposed negotiations before the appointment of Barnier’s replacement.
Roussel highlighted that “it would be preferable” for the prime minister to be left-wing, but he did not consider this an absolute condition because, in his opinion, “what counts is that there is progress and, for that, it is better to have proposals than red lines”.
The socialists were the first left-wing force to meet with Macron and demanded that the new prime minister be left-wing, a demand that their parliamentary spokesman, Boris Vallaud, reiterated this Monday on broadcaster France Inter.
“It’s the only way to change the political course,” said the parliamentarian, who kept the door open for negotiations.
It remains to be seen whether the “melenchonists” will go to negotiations and whether the parties of the “Macronist” coalition, led by former prime minister Gabriel Attal, will accept some of the left’s demands, especially the repeal of the pension reform adopted last year to postpone the minimum retirement age to 64 years.