French President Emmanuel Macron invited parliamentary party leaders to the Elysee Palace on Tuesday to try to resolve the ongoing political crisis and form a “government of national interest.” However, some right and left parties were not allowed to attend the talks, French media reported.
It was the first time Macron brought together representatives of all parliamentary factions around the same table, reminiscent of his consultation in Saint-Denis in 2023. Unlike those previous meetings, the president chose not to invite the Rassemblement Nationale (RN) and the left France Unbowed (LFI) party, accusing them of creating an “anti-Republican front” by backing a vote of no confidence in the government on December 4.
“Their representatives have not demonstrated a willingness to compromise,” a source close to the president explained.
In contrast, the socialist, environmental and communist parties, which also supported the vote of no confidence motion, were invited after showing “goodwill” and willingness to dialogue, the source added.
Olivier Faure, the Socialist Party’s first secretary, recently showed a willingness to make concessions when he said last week that his party was ready to discuss possible agreements with Macron’s centrist bloc and the conservative Republicans (LR).
The meeting is aimed at creating a framework for co-operation as Macron seeks to stabilise his minority government.
According to Elysee Palace officials, the aim is to develop a method to reach consensus and create a government capable of ensuring “reasonable stability.”
“Macron is setting the stage and will step back to allow party leaders to negotiate,” said Marine Tondelier, the national secretary of the Ecologists, in an interview with France Info.
The initiative follows Macron’s July 10 call for “sincere and loyal dialogue” between political forces to form a pluralist majority – a call that has largely gone unanswered. Macron hopes this latest attempt will foster a spirit of compromise that could lead to a new government capable of addressing France’s pressing problems.
The country has been in political turmoil since June, when Macron’s centrist bloc was defeated and the RN party won European Parliament elections.
Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of France Unbowed (LFI), wrote on X:
“We will make Mr Macron go away. He will go. Our impeachment motion will be accepted. We will postpone it until it is accepted. Mr Macron will not be able to stay in power for 30 months unless he manages to win back part of the FNP.”
