Macron on Tuesday held talks with conservative leaders including Senate leader Gérard Larcher and conservative parliamentary leader Laurent Wauquiez, according to several people with knowledge of the talks who were granted anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly, seemingly solidifying Bertrand’s status as likely nominee.
But by Tuesday afternoon, Bertrand was already facing serious objections to his appointment.
The last 36 hours have baffled even seasoned political observers, and inspired no shortage of mocking memes and jokes online. French journalist Diane de Fortanier tweeted a mock graph of the rise and fall of potential candidates, while former Elysée official Gaspard Gantzer poked fun at Macron’s dithering and endless consultations — joking he’d next be meeting with French prime ministers, winners at the Césars and Tour de France champions.
Even outgoing Prime Minister Gabriel Attal couldn’t escape the frenzy during a visit to a school in the Paris region on Monday, when he got a grilling by pupils over who the next prime minister will be and whether he was still friends with the French president.
France’s new normal
In many other European countries, parliamentary democracy and difficult coalition talks are the norm, and these lengthy consultations would be par for the course. But in France, where the presidential system has guaranteed political stability since the beginning of the Fifth Republic, the uncertainty is unprecedented.
A caretaker government has run the country since July, when ministers resigned following snap elections in June that failed to deliver an absolute majority in the French National Assembly. The New Popular Front, an alliance of parties on the left, won the most seats.
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