French President Emmanuel Macron is once again trying to consolidate power, this time by proposing a so-called “government of general interest.”
But his exclusion of key players like the rightist National Rally (RN) and hard-left La France Insoumise (LFI) from talks on December 10 has raised eyebrows. Macron dismissed these parties for their supposed refusal to “compromise,” a move critics argue is more about sidelining dissent than fostering unity.
Observers suggest Macron’s real aim is to fracture existing parliamentary blocs, drawing moderate factions into his orbit. This strategy has already stirred discord within the left-wing New Popular Front (NFP). LFI accused the Socialist Party, one of its allies, of cozying up to Macron’s centrist agenda and plotting to abandon their coalition. Socialist leader Olivier Faure hasn’t helped matters by signaling a willingness to negotiate with Macron, provided there’s a “genuine shift in political direction.”
The Socialists now seem poised to become kingmakers, pushing for a “non-censure” deal that could stabilize Macron’s government by preventing it from being toppled in another no-confidence vote. Yet, this maneuver risks sidelining millions of voters represented by excluded parties like RN, whose leader Jordan Bardella slammed Macron’s approach as undemocratic: “Our voters are not second-class citizens.”
Bardella also accused Macron of trying to create a centrist “super-party,” stretching from Republicans under Laurent Wauquiez to the Socialists. Critics believe this tactic could backfire, boosting the appeal of RN as an anti-establishment force. Marine Le Pen’s camp has already spun their exclusion as a badge of honor, calling it a “symbolic opposition medal” that reinforces their outsider status.
Meanwhile, Macron faces mounting pressure to act swiftly. Pierre Moscovici, head of France’s Court of Auditors, warned on December 10 that continued uncertainty could deepen France’s economic and political instability. But even if Macron manages to cobble together a coalition, it will face major hurdles. Contentious issues like tax reform, pension changes, and migration policy could easily unravel such an alliance, leading to further turmoil in parliament.
On the other hand, Macron’s strategy could inadvertently benefit LFI. Its leader, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, openly roots for the collapse of any new government, seeing it as a path to early presidential elections before 2027. LFI has kept up its drumbeat for Macron’s resignation, with Mélenchon vowing, “We will make Macron leave. He will leave.”
Macron’s push for a “grand coalition” may be a gamble, but critics see it as just another play in his globalist agenda, one that risks alienating the electorate while leaving France’s most pressing issues unresolved.
