Yaël Braun-Pivet: Macron’s candidate to repeat as president of France’s National Assembly | International

The left-wing coalition New Popular Front (NFP), which came in first place after the legislative elections in France, suffered its first setback this Thursday. In a vote that marks the beginning of the 12th legislature, the coalition that won the largest number of seats after the preliminary elections failed to obtain the presidency of the National Assembly. This position will be occupied by Macronist deputy Yaël Braun-Pivet, who has been re-elected to this position with the support of 220 of the 577 deputies of Parliament, thanks to the transfer of votes of the Republicans in the third vote. The vote, which …

The left-wing coalition New Popular Front (NFP), which came in first after the legislative elections in France, suffered its first setback this Thursday. In a vote that marks the beginning of the 12th legislature, the coalition that won the largest number of seats after the preliminary elections failed to obtain the presidency of the National Assembly. The position will be occupied by Macronist deputy Yaël Braun-Pivet, who has been re-elected to the position with the support of 220 of the 577 deputies of Parliament, thanks to the transfer of votes of the Republicans in the third vote. The vote, whose result was uncertain and very close until the end – the NFP candidate obtained 207 votes – took place in an unprecedented political context and with a government in office. Six candidates had run to lead the lower house of Parliament, the fourth most important position in the French state.

His re-election is considered certain remain so In the Chamber, divided into three blocs after the July 7 elections: left, center-right and extreme right. His candidacy was not supported by all members of the presidential coalition. The Horizons party – formed by Macron’s former prime minister Edouard Philippe – had presented another candidate, deputy Naima Mouchou, who left the race after the first vote.

Nevertheless, Yaël Braun-Pivet’s victory is undoubtedly good news for Macronism and a first setback for the left. Despite being the one with the most seats, the left-wing coalition born in the legislative elections to stop the rise of the extreme right has not managed to benefit from the transfer of votes from the heteroclite independent group LIOT.

Emmanuel Macron’s formation has been greatly weakened after the president’s decision to dissolve the National Assembly and the legislative elections in which he lost 80 deputies. In recent weeks there have been many analysts who have predicted the imminent end of Macronism after the unexpected victory of the left grouped in the NFP. But the result obtained this Thursday suggests a momentary rebalancing of forces in favor of the presidential party and further complicates the hypothesis of a left-wing government, as the NFP has been demanding for several weeks.

While the left claims its legitimacy to govern, relying in particular on a political tradition that theoretically obliges the president to appoint a prime minister from the political formation that won the legislative election, although it does not appear in the Constitution, Macron has announced that he will wait to see how the National Assembly was composed to name Gabriel Attal’s successor. The new scenario does not favor the left, although it will continue to keep its pulse on Macronism to get Matignon. Mathilde Panot of the LFI strongly criticized the outcome of the scrutiny, which lasted almost six hours, and reminded that the NFP remains the “first political bloc” in the hemicycle. “The French people demanded a pause,” she stressed, asking Macron to appoint a prime minister from a left-wing coalition and accusing Braun-Pivet of benefiting from two RN votes in the third round. The Communist candidate, André Chassaigne, on his part, said that “the vote of the French was stolen by an alliance against nature.”

The decision of the first woman to become president of the National Assembly in 2022 to run for re-election for a new term has sparked a serious debate within the Macronist movement. While some were convinced that her candidacy would give the impression that the president did not pay attention to the desire for change expressed by the French in the elections, on the contrary, others defended that her continuation in office would ensure the stability of parliament in a time of unprecedented and turbulent political crisis. “The last few weeks have been extremely tense,” Bron-Pivet admitted after her election. “We have seen an anxious, fragmented country,” she said, adding that she is aware of her “enormous responsibility,” with parliament divided into three ideological blocks. The 53-year-old deputy has said she will seek “dialogue” with other political forces. “I am committed to working with each and every one of you,” she stressed. The next session of parliament will be held today, Friday afternoon.

stressful environment

Minutes before the vote, the atmosphere was tense despite the smiles on the faces of the delegates, all aware of what was at stake, as they crossed a four-columned room filled with television cameras, reporters and analysts to reach the chamber. Since groups had not yet been formed at the time of the vote, the delegates were not able to sit with their usual colleagues and were forced to do so according to alphabetical order, leading to unusual coexistences such as the leader of the National Regroupment (RN), Marine Le Pen, with LFI deputy Antoine Leaument –who tweeted Morning: “If you have had a bad day, remember that I spent it sitting next to Le Pen” – and other images of deputy and candidate for president of parliament Sébastien Chenu and LFI deputy and couple sitting together by Jean-Luc Mélenchon, Sofia Chikirou. Also curious was the image of former president and now vice-president François Hollande, together with the Macronist dissident, Sacha Huile, who tried, without success, to form a group with the left-wing wing of Macronism.

The tension was notable in the opening speech of the session, which was symbolically chaired by RN deputy José González, as the oldest member of the Assembly. The far-right politician took advantage of the opportunity to attack the LFI, although without naming the party, criticizing the “movement” imposed in the previous legislature and urging deputies to “express their convictions with moderation” so as not to “contribute to the division of the French people”. Amid the noise of the deputies, González also referred to the “baroque coalitions” that emerged during the legislative elections. “The National Assembly will remain at the center of the political game for at least a year,” concluded the deputy, whose speech was applauded by only half of the house.

The hostility between the LFI and the RN was also evident during the first round of voting. After casting their votes in the green ballot box, the LFI delegates refused to shake the hand of the RN secretary of the Parliament bureau. A gesture that was only supported by the Macronist and minister delegate of the caretaker Agriculture Minister, Agnès Pannier-Runacher, who did not shake his hand out of continuity with the Republican Front.

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