Discussions lasted five days within the New Popular Front, but no consensus was reached regarding the choice of Prime Minister. Tensions and conflicts simmer behind the scenes, hinting at a fierce battle to reach an agreement.
What is the situation on the left side ? The forces of the New Popular Front (NPF) were supposed to announce the name of a Prime Minister this week to force Emmanuel Macron into a cohabitation. However, after five days of negotiations, the socialists and the Unsubmissive continue to fight. The names of Olivier Faure, First Secretary of the PS, and Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of the Unsubmissive, have been at the center of discussions. A third option appeared on Friday, July 12 to break the deadlock: Huguette Bello, president of the regional council of La Réunion and close to both the Unsubmissive and the communists. Discussions within the NPF remain tense.
### Standoff between the Unsubmissive and the socialists
Despite the fact that the NPF won the most seats, the left forces have been locked in negotiations for five days, lasting hours from evening to early morning. As discussions stall, a communist mentions a deadline until next week. The standoff intensifies between the socialists and the Unsubmissive, especially since the announcement of the PS earlier this week presenting Olivier Faure as a candidate for Prime Minister. The Unsubmissive block this option, preferring to safeguard Mélenchon for 2027.
In addition to Jean-Luc Mélenchon, other names such as Manuel Bompard, Clémence Guetté, and Mathilde Panot have been put forward by LFI for the position of Prime Minister. This leadership struggle comes after the recent good scores of the PS in the European and legislative elections, thus rebalancing the power relationship with LFI, but risking to compromise the negotiations.
### The 2027 presidential elections in the background
Some participants in the negotiations regret that the ecologists are not taking a position. The socialists believe that the perspective of the 2027 presidential elections is influencing the ongoing negotiations. According to some, the Unsubmissive are seeking to push the PS and the ecologists to join the Macronists, in order to present themselves as the only true left wing party in view of the presidential elections. The dissolution has only postponed the final showdown.
### Huguette Bello, a divisive compromise
Faced with the impasse, Fabien Roussel, Secretary General of the Communist Party, proposes the name of Huguette Bello. The latter is close to the Unsubmissive and the communists, having been a communist deputy and a candidate on Manon Aubry’s Unsubmissive list in the European elections. Her candidacy also interests the ecologists. Fabien Roussel defends an experienced woman capable of building a majority. However, this proposal has not yet convinced the Socialist Party, which refuses to set aside Olivier Faure’s candidacy. The Socialist Party is meeting in a national council to decide on the name to submit to Emmanuel Macron to replace Gabriel Attal as Prime Minister. Some see in Huguette Bello a good regional president but believe she does not have the skills for Matignon. Others think that there could be a secret agreement, with the communists pushing her name to save their group in the Assembly by including overseas deputies, particularly from La Réunion. Some also point out that she had not voted in favor of the law on marriage for all at the time. Another negative point for left-wing voters is the condemnation of the regional council of La Réunion by the administrative court in March 2024. Huguette Bello, president of this community, was ordered to pay compensation to 18 employees whose fixed-term contracts had not been renewed, in order to hire relatives of the majority in their place.
Source of the article: Francetvinfo
Pascal Petibon, born in 1980 in Lyon, is a renowned journalist and author, passionate about information and communication. After earning a degree in journalism from the University of Paris, he quickly joined various editorial teams, where he became known for his sharp analysis and clear writing style.
