Almost two months after the legislative elections, which saw the New Popular Front win first place without obtaining an absolute majority, Emmanuel Macron has still not appointed a new Prime Minister and rejects the idea of a left-wing government

The recently mooted Thierry Beaudet option appears to be receding, according to H24 MEDIA’s sources. The President of the Republic is continuing his consultations and is still exploring the candidacies of Xavier Bertrand and Bernard Cazeneuve, as those close to him have told H24 MEDIA. This Monday, Emmanuel Macron met the president of the Hauts-de-France Republicans and the former Socialist prime minister at the Élysée Palace, in addition to several major political figures.

Intensified discussions on the appointment of the new Prime Minister

After meeting Bernard Cazeneuve and Xavier Bertrand on Monday, Emmanuel Macron is continuing his consultations on Tuesday 3 September. This morning, the President discussed Xavier Bertrand’s candidacy for the post of Prime Minister with the leaders of the Right. According to information from H24 MEDIA, he held talks with Gérard Larcher, President of the Senate, Laurent Wauquiez, leader of the right-wing MPs, and Bruno Retailleau, President of the Les Républicains senators, to assess the possibility of appointing Bertrand to the post of Prime Minister.

Reaction from the Socialists and rejection by Laurent Berger

The Socialists remain sceptical about the Thierry Beaudet option. Olivier Faure, leader of the Socialist Party, told franceinfo that although Beaudet’s CV was impressive, his political options remained unclear. Carole Delga, the Socialist President of the Occitanie region, pointed out that Beaudet had never held a government post or worked on bringing political forces together.

Meanwhile, Laurent Berger, former secretary general of the CFDT, was approached by Emmanuel Macron last week about the job of prime minister. However, he declined the offer, being a determined opponent of pension reform, as reported by H24 MEDIA.