ParisEleven days after the legislative elections, the first session of the new National Assembly has ended with a narrow but important victory for President Macron. Yaël Braun-Pivet, a Macronist and president of the lower house until its dissolution in June, obtained a majority of votes this Thursday that allows her to retain the position, although she won by only 13 votes.
Braun-Pivet was re-elected by a simple majority in the third and final vote (220 votes), presumably with the votes of the right (The Republicans). The communist André Chassaigne, candidate of the alliance of left-wing parties (the New Popular Front, NFP), has remained very close to the Macronist candidate (207 votes), while the candidate of the extreme right n ‘got 141.
The vote was secret, but the conservative formation has withdrawn its candidate after the first vote. Therefore, it is taken for granted that the Republicans have subsequently supported Braun-Pivet. Some French media point to a possible prior pact between the tenant of the Elysee and the right. And, in fact, the left-wing parties speak of “theft” and denounce the “martingales” between Macron and the right to take the presidency.
The left-wing bloc has also denounced that the 17 deputies who are ministers – acting – were able to vote. According to the French Constitution, members of the government do not have the right to vote, but the Macronists argue that they can if the executive is in office. Macron accepted the government’s resignation on Tuesday precisely because he was aware that today’s vote would be very tight.
Macron, reinforced
In any case, that the president’s party has managed to retain the presidency of the Assembly strengthens Macron at a difficult moment when he has to decide what political color the prime minister and the new government should be. It is most likely that the President of the Republic will now use the re-election of Braun-Pivet as an argument to deny the post of Prime Minister to the left-wing alliance. Macron already denied that the NFP had won the election, even though it is the electoral alliance that won the most seats, and has always maintained that there are alternative majorities in the left-wing bloc. It is his argument for not leaving the government in the hands of the NFP.
The president is betting on a grand coalition without the extremist parties, but the socialists and environmentalists, for now, do not want to break up the left-wing bloc. Faced with his refusal to ally with the Macronists, the president has tried to find support on the right. He could now try to explore a government deal with the Republicans, but it won’t be easy. It would need a larger majority than the 210 seats that the president of the Assembly got this Thursday.
fragmentation
This afternoon’s voting – with three rounds – lasted almost five hours. For the first time in the V Republic, the result was absolutely uncertain and it has been highlighted that it is a completely fragmented Assembly and without clear majorities. Braun-Pivet’s 210 votes are far short of the 289 for an absolute majority.
The alliance of the left has not succeeded in imposing its candidate, a fact that anticipates the difficulties it will have for President Macron to give in and appoint a prime minister from the New Popular Front bloc. This Friday the new members of the table and the presidents of the parliamentary commissions will have to be chosen, and the left-wing bloc has already asked for a sanitary cordon to prevent the extreme right from occupying some of the positions, especially of the table.
Tension on the left
The parties of the NFP had presented a single candidate for the presidency of the Assembly agreed between the four main formations of the alliance, but they continue not to agree on the name of the candidate for prime minister. Almost two weeks after the legislative elections, there is no agreement and the tension between the parties is increasing. On Tuesday, France Insubmissa (LFI) left the negotiating table accusing the Socialists of wanting to impose their candidate. But the socialists, the ecologists and the communists have agreed on a name, which the insubordinates do not accept at the moment.
This is Laurence Tubiana, a 73-year-old economist and diplomat, known for being one of the architects of the Paris climate agreement. Tubiana defines herself as “a left-wing woman and environmentalist” and this Thursday she showed herself ready to become prime minister. “When there is a political crisis, an answer must be given. We need a left-wing person and, if it has to be me, I will be,” he said. The insubordinates consider Tubiana too “compatible with Macron” and therefore oppose it.
Source: www.ara.cat
