France: Macron warns that he will only appoint a prime minister when the parties build a 'solid' majority
In a letter to the public, the French president broke his silence after the election and asked "all political forces that recognize themselves in the republican institutions ... to engage in a sincere dialogue." While this is happening, "the current government will continue to exercise its responsibilities and take care of current affairs."
Emmanuel Macron
In an open letter to citizens, French President Emmanuel Macron warned that he will only appoint a prime minister when "all French political forces" have reached a compromise to "build a solid and necessarily plural majority."
"I call on all political forces that recognize themselves in the 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, necessarily plural, for the country ... What the French have chosen through the ballot box must be concretized through acts by the different political forces ... it is in the light of these principles that I will decide on the appointment of the prime minister."
The president also warned that this will mean "giving the political forces a little time to work out these compromises calmly and with mutual respect" and that "until then, the current government will continue to exercise its responsibilities and take care of current affairs."
Nobody won the election
The president pointed out that there is a "need for democratic expression" in France and stressed that in his opinion, ultimately, "nobody won" the election. He claimed that "no single political force obtained a sufficient majority." He also asserted that the blocs resulting from the June 30 and July 7 elections "are all minorities."
"Divided in the first round, united by mutual withdrawals in the second, elected thanks to the votes of their former adversaries, only the republican forces represent an absolute majority. The nature of these elections, marked by a clear demand for change and power-sharing, obliges them to build a broad-based coalition."
This latest call by Macron drew criticism from Marine Le Pen's National Rally (RN), who reacted on X:
"Macron is proposing a cordon sanitaire to LFI, whom he himself helped to get elected three days ago. ... This circus is becoming disgraceful."
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