The French Prime Minister Faces Likely Collapse This Week—What Happens Next?

So Macron Will Just Appoint a New Prime Minister, Right? 

Yes, but the situation is more complex than it seems. 

The French National Assembly is split into three distinct political blocs: Macron’s centrist faction, the far-right National Rally, and the left-wing coalition. These groups have starkly conflicting ideologies and refuse to cooperate, making it nearly impossible to form a stable government. Any new administration could face the risk of collapse within days. 

“To appoint a new government, you need a political space capable of supporting it,” said political expert Benjamin Morel. “But the centrists won’t even back a moderate center-left candidate like [former Prime Minister] Bernard Cazeneuve because of their animosity toward the far-left France Unbowed party,” which is in alliance with the Socialists, he added. 

One possible option for Macron would be to appoint another right-leaning prime minister, akin to Michel Barnier, who could secure support from both the centrist and conservative factions. This individual might also attempt to build bridges with Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally. 

However, to maintain such an arrangement, the new prime minister would likely need to make notable concessions to Le Pen in the aftermath of this week’s political standoff. 

Otherwise, any potential alliance would effectively demand that Le Pen backtrack on her own platform, something Morel compared to asking her to “eat her own words.”