2024 French elections

President Emmanuel Macron on June 9 dissolved the Assemblée Nationale and called snap elections after his coalition suffered a heavy defeat in the European elections. The far-right Rassemblement National party came out on top with 31.5% of the votes cast, more than double the score of Macron's camp (14.6%). The parliamentary elections will take place on June 30 for the first round and July 7 for the second, Macron said.

Editorial

French politics: A motion of no-confidence out of principle

The left-wing Nouveau Front Populaire alliance demonstrated both its ability to embody the opposition to Prime Minister Michel Barnier and its inability to sufficiently broaden its base to govern.

Published on October 9, 2024, at 6:16 pm (Paris), updated on October 11, 2024, at 10:08 am Le Monde

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French PM Barnier survives first no-confidence vote thanks to far right's lenience

The far right refused to vote for the left's motion to topple the government 'because it's useless,' bragging: 'A single tweet by Marine Le Pen is enough to sway the prime minister's position!'

Published on October 9, 2024, at 10:45 am (Paris), updated on October 9, 2024, at 12:16 pm Rachel Garrat-Valcarcel

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French left unites against new government: 'We'll have to get rid of it as soon as possible,' warns Mélenchon

A left-wing alliance, which came out on top in the July snap elections, was united in its criticism of Michel Barnier's very right-wing cabinet. But in the streets on Saturday, the mobilization against the government was weak.

Published on September 22, 2024, at 9:31 am (Paris), updated on September 23, 2024, at 11:43 am Sandrine Cassini

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Radical left's impeachment effort against Macron passes first hurdle but is unlikely to succeed

The bureau of the Assemblée Nationale validated the admissibility of the procedure initiated by the radical left on Tuesday. However, the highly complex process is unlikely to succeed.

Published on September 17, 2024, at 4:54 pm (Paris) Mariama Darame Rachel Garrat-Valcarcel

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Michel Barnier, a prime minister at the mercy of the far right

With the left promising a vote of no confidence against the new prime minister, his fate depends on the far-right Rassemblement National, which has promised not to vote against him.

Published on September 6, 2024, at 11:04 am (Paris), updated on September 6, 2024, at 11:10 am Nathalie Segaunes

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French left promises to fight new PM Barnier, saying he lacks 'political legitimacy'

Having come out on top after France's parliamentary elections, the left-wing Nouveau Front Populaire alliance denounced the appointment of the right-wing ex-European commissioner as a 'scandal.'

Published on September 6, 2024, at 10:35 am (Paris) Sandrine Cassini Laurent Telo

News

Macron appoints conservative Michel Barnier as prime minister

The appointment of the EU's former Brexit negotiator, a member of the right-wing Les Républicains party, comes after almost two months of deadlock following legislative elections that produced no clear majority in Parliament.

Published on September 5, 2024, at 1:28 pm (Paris), updated on September 5, 2024, at 9:07 pm Le Monde with AFP

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France's political stalemate seen from abroad: 'Hubris, not for the first time, got the president into this mess'

Macron's determination to maintain control over the formation of the government is a source of concern for Western observers and editorialists, who see this 'political paralysis' as a broader issue of democracy.

Published on September 4, 2024, at 12:30 pm (Paris), updated on September 4, 2024, at 3:18 pm Louise Vallée

News

Macron 'testing' former right-wing minister as potential PM

Emmanuel Macron spoke with leaders of the right-wing Les Républicains about a possible nomination of Xavier Bertrand to form a new government.

Published on September 3, 2024, at 2:35 pm (Paris), updated on September 3, 2024, at 5:20 pm Le Monde with AFP

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'The power dynamic that the French left tried to impose over the summer proved particularly ineffective'

If the Nouveau Front Populaire alliance had wanted to impose its conditions on Emmanuel Macron, it should have acted quickly and forcefully from the day after the parliamentary elections. Yet its lack of coherence prevented it from doing so, writes columnist Françoise Fressoz.

Published on September 3, 2024, at 12:00 pm (Paris), updated on September 3, 2024, at 12:44 pm Françoise Fressoz

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'French people, make more of an effort not to become Europeans!'

As the political crisis simmers in France, French academic Pascal Ory sings the praises of Switzerland, a leaderless country that practices both participatory democracy and compromise.

Published on September 1, 2024, at 5:31 pm (Paris) Pascal Ory

Editorial

The damaging consequences of Macron's dissolution of the Assemblée Nationale

Emmanuel Macron's decision to dissolve the Assemblée on June 9 had a harmful effect, a Le Monde poll found: it weakened the president without giving a clear advantage to his adversaries in the Republican camp. It did not, however, discredit the far right.

Published on September 1, 2024, at 3:12 pm (Paris) Le Monde

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Former Socialist figure emerges as serious contender for French PM

Following consultations led by Emmanuel Macron, former prime minister and interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve seems to be the only candidate without a majority against him in the Assemblée Nationale.

Published on August 30, 2024, at 4:05 pm (Paris), updated on August 30, 2024, at 4:18 pm Sandrine Cassini Nathalie Segaunes

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The French widely mistrust their politicians, Le Monde survey finds

The confidence crisis affects institutions as well as elected representatives and does not spare the president, according to the survey carried out from July 26 to August 1 among a representative sample of 11,204 people.

Published on August 30, 2024, at 7:00 am (Paris), updated on August 30, 2024, at 9:15 am Rachel Garrat-Valcarcel

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The 19th-century president the French left wishes Macron would take after

Patrice de MacMahon was a president who bet on dissolution but failed, resisted and eventually relinquished power to the left. Sound familiar?

Published on August 29, 2024, at 4:00 am (Paris) Denis Cosnard

Editorial

France's unprecedented and dangerous political situation

By refusing to appoint the left-wing coalition's candidate as prime minister, the French president is stubbornly insisting on keeping control of the situation, despite the looming threat of deadlock just days before the start of the new school year.

Published on August 27, 2024, at 12:49 pm (Paris) Le Monde

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Why Macron refused to appoint left-wing alliance's candidate as prime minister

In a statement on Monday evening, the French president rejected the candidacy of Lucie Castets for prime minister, proposed by the left-wing Nouveau Front Populaire alliance, in the name of the necessary 'institutional stability.'

Published on August 27, 2024, at 11:02 am (Paris), updated on August 27, 2024, at 11:57 am Robin D’Angelo Nathalie Segaunes

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Macron consults with party leaders on choice of prime minister

Starting on Friday, Emmanuel Macron will meet the leaders of all parties represented in Parliament. A prime minister should be appointed 'fairly quickly after these meetings,' sources near the president said.

Published on August 23, 2024, at 10:30 am (Paris) Nathalie Segaunes

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Left-wing parties meet Macron, staying united publicly despite Socialists' divisions

The four main left-wing parties will jointly meet with President Emmanuel Macron accompanied by their pick for prime minister, Lucie Castets. However, the Socialists are increasingly torn on whether to work with the radical La France Insoumise.

Published on August 23, 2024, at 5:00 am (Paris) Sandrine Cassini

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'The spirit and the letter of the French Constitution belong to a parliamentary philosophy'

It is political practice, not the Constitution itself, that has produced the idea that the president has primacy in the French Fifth Republic, writes the constitutional scholar Dominique Rousseau.

Published on August 22, 2024, at 7:00 pm (Paris) Dominique Rousseau

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French left prepares its own 2025 budget

MPs in the Nouveau Front Populaire left-wing alliance are preparing a draft budget, in case the coalition is called upon to form a government. It includes a targeted investment and infrastructure plan that could reach €10 billion.

Published on August 21, 2024, at 12:53 pm (Paris) Denis Cosnard

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French left torn after Mélenchon threatens procedure to remove Macron from office

On Sunday, the Socialists, Greens and Communists distanced themselves from the 'solemn warning' issued to President Macron by La France Insoumise leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon, fearing the threat scuttles the left's chances of governing.

Published on August 19, 2024, at 2:30 pm (Paris), updated on August 19, 2024, at 6:01 pm Sandrine Cassini

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Why Macron is (still) in no hurry to name a prime minister

The appointment of a new prime minister will take place next week, after Emmanuel Macron consults with party leaders this Thursday. The president is taking his time to push back the specter of his imminent disappearance.

Published on August 19, 2024, at 9:37 am (Paris), updated on August 19, 2024, at 9:40 am Solenn de Royer

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Why do French political parties keep changing names?

Certain parties often change their name in response to crises or difficulties, or to broaden their horizons. It's 'an injunction to reinvent oneself,' according to political scientist Rémi Lefebvre.

Published on August 19, 2024, at 5:00 am (Paris), updated on August 19, 2024, at 5:49 am Bastien Loeuillot

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The French PM 'should be someone who is politically well-versed but sufficiently respected to transcend political divisions'

To prevent a vote of no confidence, the future prime minister should not seem like the president's ally or a potential presidential candidate and should advocate for the implementation of proportional representation.

Published on August 13, 2024, at 6:01 pm (Paris), updated on August 14, 2024, at 9:13 am Zaki Laïdi Daniel Cohn-Bendit

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Left-wing candidate Lucie Castets' strange campaign for France's premiership

Over the two weeks since her name burst onto the French political scene, the Nouveau Front Populaire's candidate for prime minister has been thrust into the limelight and is trying to forge a reputation for herself.

Published on August 8, 2024, at 3:52 pm (Paris) Laurent Telo

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How the French left is preparing Lucie Castets, its surprise candidate for prime minister, to govern

The Paris City Hall's finance director has called on the president to 'take responsibility' by appointing her without delay. She also dismissed 'a coalition with the presidential camp' due to 'deep disagreements.'

Published on July 25, 2024, at 5:17 pm (Paris), updated on July 26, 2024, at 9:55 am Laurent Telo

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How France's left agreed on unknown civil servant Lucie Castets as candidate for prime minister

Deadlocked for 16 days, the Nouveau Front Populaire left-wing alliance avoided its own implosion by proposing the 37-year-old economist, the director of financial affairs at Paris City Hall, for prime minister. But President Emmanuel Macron immediately dismissed this option.

Published on July 24, 2024, at 10:47 am (Paris), updated on July 24, 2024, at 2:36 pm Laurent Telo

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Macron postpones formation of new government until after Paris Olympics

The French president rejected the left's choice for prime minister, repeating that 'nobody won' the recent legislative elections. He said he does not want a new government before the end of the Games, on the pretext of 'stability.'

Published on July 24, 2024, at 9:26 am (Paris), updated on July 24, 2024, at 9:43 am Claire Gatinois

News

Macron says no new government until 'mid-August,' declining left-wing proposal for PM

The left-wing Nouveau Front Populaire alliance backed Lucie Castets, the finance director at Paris City Hall, to become France's prime minister. President Emmanuel Macron said he would not appoint a new prime minister until after the Paris Olympics.

Published on July 23, 2024, at 7:31 pm (Paris), updated on July 23, 2024, at 9:34 pm Le Monde with AFP

Editorial

The need to rehabilitate French Parliament instead of subverting it

The president, by calling early elections, was hoping to "clarify" the political landscape, but only made it more complex. His weakened position is mirrored by the difficulty lawmakers have in assuming their responsibilities

Published on July 23, 2024, at 11:32 am (Paris) Le Monde

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On the front lines of the far right's rise, France's rural mayors are in disarray

These mayors, who do not support the far-right Rassemblement National party, have constituents who have just elected its MPs in parliamentary elections. They waver between despondency and determination.

Published on July 22, 2024, at 8:30 pm (Paris), updated on July 22, 2024, at 9:09 pm Camille Bordenet

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France's left still struggles to find a candidate for prime minister

The left-wing Nouveau Front Populaire alliance leaders met again over the weekend. While previously suggested candidates, who have since backed down, were key to discussions, three new names were floated.

Published on July 22, 2024, at 5:43 pm (Paris), updated on July 22, 2024, at 9:20 pm Laurent Telo

News

Which political groups make up France's new Assemblée Nationale?

Most MPs, elected or re-elected on July 7, chose a political group to sit with at the July 18 inaugural session.

Published on July 22, 2024, at 2:00 pm (Paris), updated on July 22, 2024, at 2:18 pm Iris Derœux

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A French billionaire's plan to 'enable victory' for the far right

With a €150 million investment and training courses for municipal candidates, conservative entrepreneur Pierre-Edouard Stérin has launched a project to help the far-right Rassemblement National and right-wing Les Républicains come to power.

Published on July 21, 2024, at 1:34 pm (Paris) Clément Guillou

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Who is Yaël Braun-Privet, the re-elected president of France's Assemblée Nationale?

The member of French President Emmanuel Macron's Rennaissance party, a lawyer in her pre-political life, was re-elected on Thursday.

Published on July 19, 2024, at 5:24 pm (Paris) Benoît Floc’h

Editorial

French elections: The risk of denying defeat

Since July 7, the presidential camp has been behaving as though it didn't lose the election.

Published on July 19, 2024, at 12:46 pm (Paris) Le Monde

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Anti-left front emerges as Macron-backed candidate re-elected as Assemblée Nationale president

Yaël Braun-Pivet, president of the Assemblée Nationale, was re-elected on Thursday against left-wing candidate André Chassaigne and far-right candidate Sébastien Chenu. She called for 'new methods'... just as she did in 2022.

Published on July 19, 2024, at 11:59 am (Paris) Mariama Darame, Rachel Garrat-Valcarcel, Corentin Lesueur and Alexandre Pedro

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French left's failure to secure presidency of Assemblée is additional obstacle on road to power

The left-wing alliance's candidate, Communist André Chassaigne, lost to Yaël Braun-Pivet, who was re-elected thanks to the votes of the presidential camp and the right – a pattern that could be repeated with the post of prime minister.

Published on July 19, 2024, at 11:24 am (Paris), updated on July 19, 2024, at 12:20 pm Laurent Telo

News

Macron-supported candidate re-elected as Assemblée Nationale president

Yaël Braun-Pivet was reelected with 220 votes. In 2022, she became the first woman to be elected to this position.

Published on July 18, 2024, at 9:17 pm (Paris), updated on July 18, 2024, at 10:45 pm Le Monde with AP

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In Strasbourg, refugees' anxiety heightened by advance of far right

In the eastern French city, a charity helps ease the psychological suffering of migrants with chaotic backgrounds. Their anguish has increased following the far right's results in recent elections.

Published on July 18, 2024, at 3:00 pm (Paris) Stéphanie Wenger

Explainer

A glossary to understand the situation in French Parliament and government

France's snap elections have brought some procedural or technical terms back to the forefront: Parliamentary groups, presidency of the Assemblée, caretaker government... Le Monde explains them.

Published on July 18, 2024, at 5:00 am (Paris), updated on July 18, 2024, at 4:49 pm Fatoumata Sillah

Explainer

Can Macron appoint anyone as prime minister? Is there a deadline for forming the government? Our answers to your French politics questions

Since the dissolution of the Assemblée and the snap elections, the French political situation has raised a number of questions, to which Le Monde attempts to provide some answers.

Published on July 17, 2024, at 5:36 pm (Paris), updated on July 18, 2024, at 5:24 pm Les Décodeurs

Editorial

The French left's procrastination on picking a prime minister threatens its new-found unity

Ten days of fruitless discussions between the leaders of the parties of the Nouveau Front Populaire have led to only one obvious conclusion: United and effective in the fight against the far right, the left loses all cohesion when it's on the doorstep of power.

Published on July 17, 2024, at 12:54 pm (Paris), updated on July 17, 2024, at 2:44 pm Le Monde

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What economists say about the French left's policies

Le Monde asked a panel of experts about the three main measures proposed by the Nouveau Front Populaire left-wing coalition: lowering the retirement age, raising the minimum wage and taxing the richest. They were divided.

Published on July 17, 2024, at 4:00 am (Paris) Philippe Escande

Explainer

What are the powers of a caretaker government in France?

Prime Minister Gabriel Attal's government could remain in office for an indefinite period of time to handle day-to-day affairs, with restricted powers, until President Emmanuel Macron names a new prime minister.

Published on July 16, 2024, at 3:23 pm (Paris), updated on July 16, 2024, at 9:05 pm Gary Dagorn Romain Geoffroy

News

Macron accepts PM's resignation, government shifts to caretaker role

President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Gabriel Attal's government, which will now remain only in a caretaker capacity.

Published on July 16, 2024, at 2:44 pm (Paris), updated on July 16, 2024, at 8:11 pm Le Monde with AFP

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What is happening in French Parliament this week?

With no government and no majority, members of the freshly elected Assemblée Nationale will have to elect the chamber's president and other top jobs in an unprecedented context.

Published on July 15, 2024, at 3:30 pm (Paris) Mariama Darame

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France's startups concerned over effects of Macron's snap elections

The French FinTech community, strongly backed by French President Emmanuel Macron, is worried about the changing image of the country and its president among foreign investors.

Published on July 15, 2024, at 5:00 am (Paris) Isabelle Chaperon Vincent Fagot

News

French left back to square one as proposed PM 'declines' role

Huguette Bello, who was backed by the Communists and La France Insoumise, crucially did not have the support of the Socialists.

Published on July 14, 2024, at 12:19 pm (Paris), updated on July 14, 2024, at 12:40 pm Le Monde with AFP

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French elections: 'The republican reflex against the far right shows the power of anti-racism'

The relief of the RN's temporary sidelining should not overshadow the public outpouring of racism aroused by the prospect of its coming to power, warns Le Monde columnist Philippe Bernard.

Published on July 14, 2024, at 12:00 pm (Paris) Philippe Bernard

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Meet the far-right French MPs elected despite racist, anti-abortion or climate-skeptic stances

Twenty-one new or returning MPs who have taken radical positions will serve in the Assemblée Nationale for Marine Le Pen's Rassemblement National party.

Published on July 14, 2024, at 4:00 am (Paris) Adrien Sénécat, Jérémie Baruch, Florian Reynaud, Iris Derœux, Samuel Laurent and Maxime Vaudano

News

French Socialists refuse to endorse former communist MP Huguette Bello as prime minister

The president of the regional council of La Réunion has received the backing of the Communists and hard-left LFI leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon. The Socialists put forward several arguments against Bello, such as the fact that she did not take part in the vote on the law on same-sex marriage in 2013.

Published on July 14, 2024, at 1:28 am (Paris), updated on July 14, 2024, at 8:35 am Le Monde with AFP

News

French PM Attal elected head of Macron's Renaissance group in Parliament

The outgoing prime minister will lead lawmakers from President Emmanuel Macron's party in the Assemblée Nationale.

Published on July 13, 2024, at 2:46 pm (Paris), updated on July 13, 2024, at 3:17 pm Le Monde with AFP

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Thomas Piketty: 'It's time for the left to get back to describing the alternative economic system to which it aspires'

In his column, the economist advises the French left to create a democratic federation capable of organizing deliberation and settling disputes, rather than wallowing in rhetorical radicalism.

Published on July 13, 2024, at 12:10 pm (Paris) Thomas Piketty

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As French left looks for a prime minister, an unexpected name emerges

Huguette Bello, the president of the regional council of La Réunion, an overseas territory in the Indian Ocean, has received the backing of the Communists, the Greens and Jean-Luc Mélenchon. But the Socialists still want their leader to be the left's candidate to form a government.

Published on July 13, 2024, at 11:17 am (Paris), updated on July 13, 2024, at 3:02 pm Julie Carriat Sandrine Cassini

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NATO summit: Macron returns to 'center of the photo' for 36 hours

In Washington, the French president boasted to his allies about sidelining his foreign policy opponents in France. However, returning to Paris, where his letter to the French has been criticized, will be more challenging.

Published on July 12, 2024, at 11:34 am (Paris), updated on July 12, 2024, at 11:35 am Claire Gatinois Philippe Ricard

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French elections: Business leaders are increasingly worried

Business leaders have reaffirmed their hostility to the left's policy platform and called for a coalition government to maintain the supply-side policy pursued over the last 10 years.

Published on July 12, 2024, at 4:00 am (Paris) Bertrand Bissuel

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French elections: The left is under pressure to agree on a candidate for prime minister

Both the right and Macron deny that the left-wing Nouveau Front Populaire bloc has won the snap elections, increasing the pressure on the alliance.

Published on July 11, 2024, at 5:08 pm (Paris), updated on July 12, 2024, at 12:49 am Sandrine Cassini

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In Depth

French elections: Why is France facing a political deadlock?

No majority has emerged following the snap elections called by President Emmanuel Macron.

Published on July 11, 2024, at 2:44 pm (Paris), updated on July 15, 2024, at 12:37 pm Pierre Lecornu Benoit Le Corre Sinead McCausland 01:32

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