France’s left-wing bloc puts forward a candidate for prime minister: this is Lucie Castet

Since the second round of parliamentary elections on July 7, French politics has been at a standstill. Surprisingly, the far-right National Rally has not emerged as the largest party, but the left-wing New Popular Front. The coalition around President Macron has held up surprisingly well, but it does not have enough MPs to take the lead in forming a government. The left may be the largest party, but it does not have an absolute majority.

Prime Minister Gabriel Attal has offered to resign from his government, but he is still “in the preliminary matters” for now because the left has failed to agree on who should become prime minister. This concerns the main differences between the parties that form part of the left bloc: the Socialists of the Socialist Party, the Communists of the French Communist Party, the radical left of France Insoumise (LFI) and the ecologists.

The PCF, the LFI and the ecologists met in a candidacy put forward by Huguette Bello, president of the regional council of the island of Réunion, but the Socialist Party thought she was too radical. The Socialists themselves saw something in Laurence Toubiana, a respected diplomat. The Communists and the ecologists were not against her, but La France Insoumise was. Bello and Toubiana subsequently withdrew as candidates.

The main focus now will be on Macron’s reaction to Castet’s nomination.