France’s left-wing alliance has decided on a candidate to propose as the new prime minister following snap parliamentary elections.
The New Popular Front (NFP), expected to secure the most seats in the National Assembly based on recent election results, has chosen Lucie Castets, a 37-year-old economist and civil servant working for the Paris city government, for the position, according to an official statement on Tuesday.
The alliance praised Castets’ expertise in combating tax evasion and financial crime, as well as her opposition to President Emmanuel Macron’s controversial pension reform, which raised the retirement age to 64 in 2023 despite months of mass protests.
The NFP struggled for weeks to agree on a candidate to propose to Macron as prime minister, leading to severe divisions within the left-wing bloc after the second round of snap legislative polls on July 7.
Despite this effort, Macron said in an interview late on Tuesday that a new government would not be formed until mid-August, as the country would be preoccupied with the Olympics.
Last week, Macron accepted Prime Minister Gabriel Attal’s resignation following the election results, after initially rejecting it on July 8. Attal will continue managing government affairs until a new government is formed.
Political parties harshly criticized Macron for initially rejecting Attal’s resignation, delaying the process, and causing instability in the country.
When asked about Castets, who is relatively unknown to the public, Macron told France 2: “This is not the issue. The name is not the issue. The issue is: Which majority can emerge at the (National) Assembly?”
“Until mid-August, we’re in no position to change things, because it would create disorder,” Macron added.
The Olympic Games in Paris, which run from Friday to Sunday, August 11, present a major logistics and security challenge for France, with 35 venues and an estimated 10,500 athletes.
The NFP could win more than 180 seats in the lower chamber of parliament. The centrist alliance Together for the Republic, backed by Macron, finished second with over 160 seats, while Jordan Bardella and Marine Le Pen’s National Rally (RN) party secured more than 140 seats.
The National Assembly has 577 seats, and none of the three primary alliances were able to win an absolute majority of 289 lawmakers.
Macron dissolved parliament and announced early elections after the RN won more than 31% of the vote in European Parliament elections on June 9, defeating his centrist bloc.
