Macron did a dirty deal with the communists to eke out a... draw with the National Rally.
Part of the deal, I guess, was that he would appoint a communist or far-left socialist as Prime Minister. It's the Prime Minister who actually forms and runs the government in France.
But Macron isn't following through on his deal, leaving France without an actual government -- and drawing complaints that he is currently an illegal tyrant.
France has been plunged into further political chaos after Emmanuel Macron refused to name a prime minister from the leftwing coalition that won the most parliamentary seats in the snap election last month.
The president had hoped consultations would break the political deadlock caused by the election that left the Assemblée Nationale divided into three roughly equal blocks -- left, centre and far right -- none of which has a majority of seats.
After two days of talks with party and parliamentary leaders to break the stalemate and allow him to name a prime minister with cross-party support, Macron's decision not to choose the New Popular Front's candidate was met with anger and threats of impeachment.
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A government formed by the leftwing alliance the New Popular Front (NFP) -- comprising France Unbowed (LFI), the Socialist party (PS), the Greens (EELV) and the Communist party (PCF) -- would lead to an immediate vote of no confidence and a collapse of the government, Macron said explaining his decision.
"Such a government would immediately have a majority of more than 350 MPs against it, effectively preventing it from acting," Macron added. "In view of the opinions expressed by the political leaders consulted, the institutional stability of our country means that this option should not be pursued."
The leftist coalition, the NFP, says negotiations are over, except to discuss which far-left asshole to appoint as PM.
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After Monday's announcement, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the LFI president, accused Macron of creating an "exceptionally serious situation".
"The popular and political response must be swift and firm," Mélenchon said. LFI called for demonstrations urging the president to "respect democracy" and said it would present a motion of impeachment of Macron.
"The president of the republic does not recognise the result of universal suffrage, which placed the New Popular Front at the top of the polls," it said in a statement.
"He refuses to appoint Lucie Castets as prime minister. Under these conditions, the motion of impeachment will be presented by LFI MPs. Any proposal for a prime minister other than Lucie Castets will be subject to a motion of censure."
Marine Tondelier, secretary general of the Greens, said the president's action was "a disgrace" and "dangerous democratic irresponsibility".
Leftwing leader Melenchon issued the "solemn warning" to impeach Macron.
In an open letter published in the newspaper La Tribune dimanche, Mélenchon and his top deputies accuse President Emmanuel Macron of an "institutional coup de force" and "abuse of power." In their "solemn warning," they call on the president to "accept the results of the legislative elections" and appoint the NFP's candidate Lucie Castets as prime minister, failing which LFI would trigger Article 68 of the Constitution, which allows the president to be removed from office in the event of a "dereliction of duty."
LFI's initiative was prepared in secret, without its NFP allies. They only warned their partners by text message on Saturday that the text would be released the following day.
But LeMonde thinks this is unlikely to go anywhere:
Realistically, an Article 68 procedure would have no chance of success, given the current parliamentary balance. A resolution must first be passed by a two-thirds majority in both chambers of Parliament. Then a high court made up of members from both chambers has one month to give its verdict, again requiring a two-thirds majority. The legal legitimacy of the move would also be questioned. "The head of state is in his constitutional role. In the absence of a majority, he consults the political groups in order to appoint a prime minister," said the Elysée Palace, denouncing "a fuss that is hardly in keeping with the spirit of the Republic and the letter of the Constitution" and adding that LFI has a "taste for disorder that is hardly reassuring."
Via Al Jazeera, Macron is claiming that the communists who he did a dirty deal with must now "cooperate," by which he means: Even though I did a dirty deal with them that gave them the most seats, I want them to agree to a PM from my minority party.
"The Socialist Party, the Greens and the Communists have not proposed ways to cooperate with other political forces. It is now up to them to do so," he said.
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[W]hile he mentioned the Greens, Socialists and Communists in his statement, he left out the hard-left France Unbowed (LFI), which also forms part of the NFP.
Macron has previously referred to the LFI as an "extreme movement".
The centre and right-wing parties also criticised the NFP's big spending manifesto, as it comes at a time when the country faces a budget deficit and a debt mountain.
Although Macron has picked a "caretaker" acting PM, that PM has not been voted on by the National Assembly and therefore has no actual constitutional right to govern.
I'm not sure what all this means. My hope would be that the crisis continues and forces Macron to call for another snap election, with the far left this time unwilling to play along with Macron, but I didn't see anyone discussing that as a real possibility.