After the dissolution, members of parliament had fifteen days to start their work, until August 1st. However, they only sat for three days: July 18, 19, and 20, for the installation of the new National Assembly resulting from the legislative elections of June 30 and July 7. Overall, the institutional dashboard of the country is showing mostly orange lights, with some red. Benjamin Morel, a lecturer in public law at Paris-II, expressed his doubts about what can be achieved during this legislature.
On July 18, Yaël Braun-Pivet’s re-election as President of the National Assembly was secured thanks to an agreement between Macron’s party and the right-wing, united in an anti-New Popular Front (NFP) front, while the blocs remained strong and coherent. Elected with a 13-vote lead over André Chassaigne from the French Communist Party, Yaël Braun-Pivet benefited fully from the 17 votes of minister-deputies. The Constitution prohibits holding both positions simultaneously… unless the government is resigning. The left challenged the election before the Constitutional Council, which, as usual, declared itself incompetent to judge the functioning of the National Assembly.
Regardless, the Macronists had gained points on the evening of July 18. With a “solid” agreement with The Republicans (LR), as Gabriel Attal put it to his troops, the presidential camp had won the battle designated as key by Emmanuel Macron for the future governability of the country. The 213 votes of the ex-majority and LR groups on paper dominate over the 193 of the NFP. However, a different story unfolded on the night of Friday, July 19, to Saturday, July 20. During the election of the rest of the Assembly’s bureau (vice-presidents, treasurers, secretaries), the National Rally (RN) did not win any positions due to an erratic strategy, and the left unexpectedly obtained a majority with twelve out of twenty-two positions.
The fault lay in the incredible lightness of the right and the Macronists, who went to bed too early, among other factors. An alliance between the left and the group Liberties, Independents, Overseas, and Territories (LIOT) allowed the left to surpass the right’s alliance. On paper, the union of these groups only represented 214 votes (LIOT has since gained a new member). The future of this legislature remains uncertain, with challenges and divisions already apparent within the National Assembly. It will be interesting to see how the dynamics play out in the coming days and what impact they will have on the governance of the country.
