Mayhem in the presidential camp
While centrists did better than expected on Sunday — scoring enough seats to beat the far-right National Rally, which most pollsters had tipped to come in first place — the movement is still bleeding support and membership.
Many are questioning whether their future lies within Macron’s party, Renaissance, now that it is longer the main force in parliament. Lawmaker Sacha Houlié, one of the president’s earliest supporters, announced he would no longer be part of Renaissance, aiming to build his own group which could include lawmakers “from the social right to the socialist left.”
Darmanin loyalists are looking to impose their line, rejecting any notion of working not only with the radical leftist France Unbowed, long abhorred by the centrists, but also with the French Greens. Maud Bregeon, a Renaissance parliamentarian close to Darmanin, accused Green leader Marine Tondelier of having “condoned the use of Molotov cocktails against the security forces” during a protest over water reservoirs last year.
One thing is clear: Macron’s promise to “overcome” the left-right divide during his first campaign for president is in mortal peril. Whether he — or anyone else — can bind the increasingly fractured center remains to be seen.
In a letter published on Wednesday, Macron called on “all political forces that identify with republican institutions, the rule of law, parliamentarianism, a European orientation and the defense of French independence, to engage in a sincere and loyal dialogue to build a solid majority.”
So what comes next?
The left-wing New Popular Front alliance is pressing Macron to call on them to form a government, with one of their own as prime minister. By next Thursday, July 18, the National Assembly’s new president will be elected, signaling what, if any, agreements have been reached.
