The French Zombie Government
On the Strange Situation the French President Has Placed His Own Government
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I am pretty sure you are all aware of the recent French legislative elections that followed the dissolution of the previous National Assembly (the lower chamber of the French Parliament).
The President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, has the responsibility (and obligation) to appoint a new Prime Minister. There is no time limit on this, but it would look very bad if it took too long. It could take anywhere from a few days to a few months.
In this post, I would like to talk about the strange situation in which the previous government is more or less trapped. It concerns French constitutional law, of course, but there is a bigger issue: the use of legal ambiguities for political purposes.
To Appoint a New Prime Minister: A Presidential Choice in Complete Freedom
The French people are waiting to hear the name of the new Prime Minister. They expect someone who will reflect the results of the French legislative elections.
However, the French President has complete freedom to appoint the Prime Minister. This is an exclusive power. It is soberly posit in the article 8 of the Constitution states:
“The President of the Republic appoints the Prime Minister.”
In the present case, the problem is that the president does not have the National Assembly on his side. We call such a situation “cohabitation,” which means living together (in a same room).
In the event of cohabitation, it has always been accepted that the President appoints a Prime Minister from the new majority. This was illustrated by the appointments of Jacques Chirac in 1986, Édouard Balladur in 1993, and Lionel Jospin in 1997.
The current National Assembly does not have a clear majority. The election was more or less won by the left, but the National Assembly is gradually being conquered by the far right, and the president’s party itself can hardly be considered a left party, as its policies are center-right to say the less.
Furthermore, the more time passes, the less likely it is that there will be a stable left-wing government. Obviously, the President Macron is doing nothing to help and seems to enjoy the boxing matches between left-wing politicians.
The Zombie Government
During this time, the previous government will continue to administer the country, which is another fortunate thing for the President. Previous ministers have lost their ministerial status, but remain in control of their administration until a new Prime Minister is appointed and a new government is formed.
There is a legal loophole here that legitimizes this whole masquerade. It has even led the French politologist Benjamin Morel to consider that it is a “zombie government” that is in charge of the flight.
Why a zombie government? Because the government is legally dead, but it lives on until a decision is made. It has the authority to manage day-to-day business.
Conclusion: What to Expect Here?
If I were to bet, I would bet on a future right-wing minister.
If President Macron was interested in working with left-wing politicians, it would probably already happened. Many people on the left of the political chessboard have expressed their interest in the job of prime minister.
Moreover, if the French president wants to play politics and leave a mark in these two remaining years of his mandate — at least in a way that would be consistent with what he has tried to do in the past years — , he will have to work with the right, which, despite the victory of the left-wing coalition, remains stronger in the National Assembly as well as in the Senate (the upper chamber of the French Parliament).
The legal ambiguities surrounding the deadline for the appointment of a new prime minister — and thus a new government — seem to be a very convenient way for the president.
During this time, the national press as well as the social media (X/Twitter mostly) constitute the battlefield where the leftist politicians show the population the worst of politics. They just kill each other and leave the door open to right-wing politics.
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Romaric
Studied comparative governments in college, France was one of the five that were studied. Macron cannot reasonably name a candidate from his party, but between his and the National Rally, there are some other parties, small, but there, that he could choose from. That would keep the left out, the party would have to work with the RN and Macron's party, Ensemble, plus the chosen party for the the Prime Minister, it should make for an interesting omelet.