French president Emmanuel Macron summoned prospective leaders of new political groups in the National Assembly on Tuesday “to identify constructive solutions that can be envisaged in the service of French people”, said the Élysée.
The consultations took place two days after Mr Macron’s Ensemble coalition lost 104 seats in legislative elections, leaving him with the smallest majority in the history of the Fifth Republic.
The approval rating of prime minister Élisabeth Borne has dropped seven points, to 41 per cent, since she was appointed a month ago. She won a seat in the election by a tiny margin, leading opposition politicians to call for her resignation.
Ms Borne submitted her resignation to Mr Macron on Tuesday, as dictated by tradition. He refused to accept it, but her position remains precarious.
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In an attempt to show that the government continues to function, Ms Borne met the entire cabinet in her office at Matignon, including three long-faced ministers who must resign because they lost their seats on Sunday.
Christian Jacob, leader of the conservative neo-Gaullist party Les Républicains (LR), was the first politician received by Mr Macron. With 64 seats, LR could provide the 43 extra votes that Mr Macron will need to pass legislation.
But the bitterness of Mr Jacob’s statements to the press indicated it will be an uphill battle. The conservative leader said Mr Macron has governed “in a permanent state of arrogance and self-importance”, had “only one thought, to destroy us. And now he’s calling us to the rescue? He should have thought of that before.”
Mr Jacob said Mr Macron “bears a very heavy responsibility” for the uncertainty of France’s political future because he “instrumentalised the extremes” while “weakening us by poaching” LR officials.
Éric Woerth, a former budget minister who defected from LR to join Mr Macron’s coalition, has announced his candidacy to replace Richard Ferrand, a Macron loyalist, as speaker of the assembly after Mr Ferrand lost his seat.
If Mr Macron’s government seeks a vote of confidence, Mr Jacob continued, LR will not vote for it. LR would never serve as a “crutch” or “spare tyre” for Mr Macron’s majority. The most positive thing Mr Jacob said was that LR will not attempt to block institutions. Mr Macron “asked for this consultation. It’s up to him to put offers on the table”, he said.
The Socialist leader Olivier Faure, who is part of the left, Green and far-left coalition Nupes, was the second politician to see Mr Macron. The Socialists “are inclined to go forward” if the government addresses the high cost of living and raises the minimum wage, said Mr Faure.
“Is this just theatrics?” asked Mr Faure, referring to Mr Macron’s consultations. “We’ll know in the next few days.” Mr Macron has realised “that he can no longer be the hyper-president,” added Mr Faure.
French newspapers described the president’s predicament as “searching for the lost majority”, an “impasse” and a “headache”. Several published the headline: “So what do we do now?”
On learning of the results on Sunday night, Libération newspaper reported Mr Macron quoted the 1963 cult police comedy film Les Tontons Flingueurs, saying “We are entering into the bizarre”.
