The opening of the Olympic truce this week does not exclude questioning the governability of the country, more than fifteen days after the second round of legislative elections. Emmanuel Macron’s decision to take time to appoint a successor to Gabriel Attal, who was in charge of managing the affairs of the resigning government for an indefinite period, is a first in the Fifth Republic. It illustrates the complexity of the situation and the uncertainty in which the country finds itself, on the eve of a high-risk budgetary return. The power has never been as shared as it is now, with the weakening of the president and the difficulty of parliamentarians to take on responsibilities in the context of a disarrayed political landscape.
For those who have criticized the hyper-presidentialization of the regime, this is an opportunity to return to the spirit of the institutions: a rationalized parliamentary system where the Prime Minister, accountable to Parliament, has real powers, while the President is relegated to an arbitrator role. However, in an Assembly where only minorities exist, only the creation of coalitions can guarantee this result, which many find difficult to accept. The inability of the left to agree on a candidate for Prime Minister, even though the New Popular Front party could have legitimately governed if they opened up, illustrates the challenges of forming effective coalitions in the current political climate.
On the right, the strategy of Laurent Wauquiez, proposing various policy measures without committing to a coalition with Macron’s party, highlights the focus on the upcoming presidential election in 2027 as a prime consideration. This shift in focus away from governing effectively towards positioning for future elections creates a real challenge for the current political situation. The increased presence of the National Rally party, which has more than doubled its number of deputies but has lost representation in the governance of the Assembly, presents another factor of disruption in the political landscape.
The risk of the Parliament becoming entrenched in the party system, instead of being revitalized, is real due to these factors. The potential for the Parliament to become mired in the party politics that the founder of the Fifth Republic critiqued as a “scene of contradictions on a theater of powerlessness” would result in no winners. However, it remains to be seen if those involved are aware of the potential consequences of the current political situation and the challenges facing effective governance in the country. The uncertainty and complexity of the current political landscape in France present significant challenges that need to be addressed to ensure a stable and effective government.
