France's leftist parties won elections, but now they can't agree on PM candidate amid infighting

Nearly a week after the left-wing coalition New Popular Front (NPF) came first in the French parliamentary elections, the country continues to wait for a new prime minister as infighting has gripped the leftist parties.

The leftist parties comprising the NPF have not been able to build consensus on the bloc’s candidate for prime ministership. The infighting is primarily between the far-left France Unbowed (LFI) and the Socialist Party. The LFI won the most seats, 78, and the Socialists came second with 65 seats.

The LFI has proposed the name of Huguette Bello, a veteran politician from the French overseas territory of Reunion, for the post of prime minister, but the Socialists have pushed back and have proposed the name of party leader Olivier Faure.

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Besides the LFI, Bello has support from NPF’s Communist Party and the Green Party as well, as per Le Monde newspaper.

Far-left vs Socialists drives France’s wait for new PM

Even though the far-left LFI has emerged as the single-largest party in French elections, party’s leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon is a highly controversial figure and is detested by many within his party and the bloc. Even though there were indications that he could project himself as the prime ministerial candidate, the strong pushback from within his own party and the NPF led to the party proposing the name of Bello.

Mélenchon has hailed Bello as the “solution” to France’s political deadlock and has stressed that she does not carry his baggage.

Mélenchon has long been accused of being a rabid antisemite and he is also seen as being soft on Russia. As per France 24, he has pitched Bello as an “anti-racist feminist”.

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On the other hand, the Socialists have pushed the name of party leader Faure. The party has stressed that Faure is the only leader within the coalition that French President Emmanuel Macron could not refuse, according to Le Monde newspaper.

In the French political system, the president appoints the prime minister who is then approved by the parliament. This means that the premier will be from the party or bloc having the parliamentary control but the president may still influence who among the party or bloc’s leaders may get the eventual appointment. As of now, outgoing PM Gabriel Attal from Macron’s centrist bloc is governing as the caretaker prime minister.

What makes the selection even more complicated is that there is a camp within LFI that is still pushing from Melenchon’s candidacy, as per the newspaper.

PM names’ list keeps getting longer

Instead of getting shorter, the list of hopeful prime ministers appears to be getting longer.

By Thursday, the question of the candidacy appeared to be down to Faure or Bello, but things changed soon, reported Le Monde.

The newspaper reported that Communist Party leader Fabien Roussel put forward her name as well for the premiership and, once the Green Party and the Communist Party got tired of the squabbling, they proposed two new names.

The Greens proposed former party leader and ex-housing minister Cécile Duflot and the Communists floated the name of Christophe Robert, the head of the Fondation Abbé Pierre, a charity, according to the newspaper.

Earlier this week, the NPF had said that the bloc would name their prime ministerial candidate this week, but signs so far suggest the window may pass as consensus eludes the leftists.