France’s Left-Wing Alliance Proposes Lucie Castets as candidate for PM

Paris, The Gulf Observer: France’s left-wing alliance has decided on a name to propose as the new prime minister following snap parliamentary elections.

The New Popular Front (NFP), which is expected to secure the most seats in the National Assembly according to recent election results, announced on Tuesday that they have chosen Lucie Castets, 37, an economist and civil servant working for the Paris city government, for the position. The alliance praised Castets’ expertise in fighting tax evasion and financial crime, as well as her stance against President Emmanuel Macron’s much-contested pension reform, which raised the retirement age to 64 in 2023 despite months of mass protests.

The NFP struggled for weeks to come up with a solid name to propose to Macron as prime minister, resulting in severe divisions within the left-wing bloc after the second round of snap legislative polls on July 7.

Despite the effort, Macron said in an interview late on Tuesday that a new government would not be formed until mid-August, as the country would be preoccupied with the Olympics.

Last week, Macron accepted Prime Minister Gabriel Attal’s resignation following the election results, after initially rejecting it on July 8. Attal will continue managing the government’s affairs until a new government is formed.

Political parties have harshly criticized Macron for initially rejecting Attal’s resignation, delaying the process, and causing instability in the country.

When asked about Castets, who is relatively unknown to the public, Macron told France 2: “This is not the issue. The name is not the issue. The issue is: Which majority can emerge at the (National) Assembly?”

“Until mid-August, we’re in no position to change things, because it would create disorder,” Macron added.