Macron struggles to form new govt

It's been two months since snap elections were held in France, yet the country is still to elect a new prime minister.

Amid this political instability, the country successfully hosted the Paris Olympics and opened the Paralympic Games on Wednesday.

According to experts, the ongoing political deadlock is putting President Emmanuel Macron to the test as he struggles to form a new government.

It was hoped that hosting the Olympics would lift the morale of the country and ease political tensions. However, the temporary "political truce" for the Games is now over and there is no end to the impasse in sight.

In a surprise move, Macron dissolved the National Assembly, the lower house of parliament, and called for snap polls after a setback in the June European Parliament elections, in which the far-right National Rally party gained major ground.

Two rounds of voting, on June 30 and July 7, produced no clear winner in the 577-seat National Assembly.

Macron has "won and failed", Zhang Jinling, a senior research fellow on French studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences' Institute of European Studies, told China Daily.

"He succeeded in blocking the far-right momentum, particularly through political maneuvers with the left-wing bloc after the first round," Zhang said. "However, Macron ultimately failed, as his Ensemble coalition lost its relative majority."

The French team performed well in the Olympics but "the morale gained from the games failed to smooth the political process", Dai Zhixin, vice-dean of the Institute of French and Francophone Studies and research fellow at the Institute of Area Studies of Renmin University of China, told China Daily.

"The current political deadlock is rooted mainly in party divisions and conflicting interests. Resolving the situation will require political wisdom and compromise," Dai said.

More efforts were underway as Macron launched a new round of talks to end the stalemate. Macron said he would not name a government led by the left-wing New Popular Front coalition, which emerged as the largest bloc but fell short of an absolute majority.

"France has traditionally been governed alternatively by the left or right," Zhang said. "Macron's rise to power in 2017, positioning himself as a centrist, foreshadowed the tripartite political landscape."

The parliamentary structure indicates a "deepening polarization" in French politics, which makes the formation of a new administration particularly challenging, Dai said.

"France's political stability could be at risk if no compromise is reached, and the government's decision-making efficiency will be significantly impaired," Dai added.

He also noted that Macron faces the risk of becoming a "lame-duck" president, with "passing bills becoming nearly impossible".

"Some might suggest invoking Article 49.3 of the Constitution to bypass a vote, like last year's retirement reform. But it would be no longer feasible as the current situation makes it easy for the opposition to overturn such actions through a vote of no confidence," Zhang said.

"Due to significant disagreements among parties on key issues such as immigration and taxation, major reforms in France over the next three years are unlikely," he added.

The New Popular Front had proposed economist and civil servant Lucie Castets, 37, as prime minister, but was turned down by Macron, who said the left-wing government would be a "threat to institutional stability", drawing strong criticism from the opposition.

Macron's office has not provided any timeline for naming a prime minister, but the clock is ticking toward the Oct 1 deadline when the government must present a draft budget law for 2025, Agence France-Presse reported.

"If the new government leans toward a more conservative stance, it may lead to divergences with other European Union countries on issues like immigration and economic policy, potentially weakening EU cohesion," Dai said.

Macron held a meeting with the United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Paris on Thursday, in which the two leaders agreed to deepen relations over security and migration. That day Macron began a two-day visit to Serbia, where Rafale jets deal and energy topped the agenda.

"The new government's foreign policy will be crucial in finding the optimal balance between France's national interests and the EU's collective interests, which will impact the EU's position on the global stage," Zhang said.