Macron Delays Naming New French PM Until After Olympics

French President Emmanuel Macron has announced that he will delay naming a new prime minister until after the Paris Olympic Games, scheduled to conclude in mid-August. Macron emphasized the need for political stability during the games and the necessity for parties in the fractured parliament to work towards building a broad coalition.

“Of course, we need to be concentrated on the Games until mid-August,” Macron told France 2. “From then… it will be my responsibility to name a prime minister and entrust them with the task of forming a government, with the broadest backing possible,” he said.

The recent snap elections resulted in a National Assembly without a clear majority, with the left-wing NFP alliance securing the most seats (193), followed by Macron’s centrists (164), and the far-right National Rally (143). The left-wing alliance proposed Lucie Castets, an economist and senior civil servant, as their candidate for prime minister. Castets accepted the nomination, emphasizing her commitment to repealing Macron’s pension reform and implementing major tax reforms.

Despite the left-wing alliance’s push, Macron reiterated that any new prime minister must be able to survive a confidence vote in the chamber. He called for parties to “get out of their comfort zones and work out compromises.”

Current Prime Minister Gabriel Attal and his ministers will continue in a caretaker capacity until a new government is formed. Left-wing leaders criticized Macron’s decision, accusing him of denying the election results and attempting to force a coalition that excludes both the hard-left and far-right parties.