The French left’s candidate to be prime minister has insisted the alliance is willing to compromise on a programme that includes rolling back pension reforms and tax rises for the “ultra rich” if allowed to govern.
In her first formal interview with a non-French paper, Lucie Castets, representing the New Popular Front (NFP), said she had been exploring “red lines” with opponents across the political spectrum except the far right.
“I’m not waiting, I’m working. I’m talking to a lot of people not just from the NFP but from the centre trying to understand what they need, what their red lines and goals are and what we can agree on.”
“They are all very worried. Nobody understands what Emmanuel Macron is doing, even the Macronists. He is not giving us [political parties] the chance to work together. If you ask me of course I will say I want our programme to be the priority, but if you ask what can we change, what can we compromise on, I say we can compromise.”
She added: “Macron says the problem is the NFP programme. He feels threatened because he thinks we’re going to change everything he did and it’s true that is our intention. But we’re not saying we will be able to change everything because we will need to find an agreement on every issue and we are fully aware of this.
“He accuses us of wanting to keep the whole programme and only the whole programme, but if we are in government, we will present a law – say to repeal the pension changes – and MPs will vote on it. If we are unhappy with the result we will have to find an agreement and actually I think on this specific issue we would find an agreement. That’s how parliament works.”
It is almost two months since the snap general election Macron called to clarify French politics after the far-right National Rally was victorious in European elections. The surprise move backfired, leaving parliament with three roughly equal political blocks – left, centre and far right – and the French parliament in an unprecedented crisis.
The centrist government resigned after the election but continues as a caretaker administration. With the 1 October deadline for the 2025 government budget to be submitted to the National Assembly, time is running out for any new administration to prepare and present its economic plan.
Sitting in a cafe in Paris’s Marais district, Castets, 37, a graduate of the now-closed elite Ecole Nationale d’Administration and a civil servant, says Macron is risking the wrath of the country.
“He’s trying to be the player, the referee and the selector at the same time and it’s not only disappointing people, it’s making them resentful. It’s incredible how the president acts as if there was no election.”
Until a few weeks ago, few in France would have heard of Castets, who is not a member of any political party – she left the socialist party [PS] in 2011 – and has never held an elected role. While on holiday from her “dream job” as finance director at Paris city hall – from which she has since resigned – she says she was surprised to be approached to be the NFP’s candidate for prime minister.
The NFP, an alliance of PS, France Upbowed (LFI), the Greens and the French Communist party, was hastily created to see off the threat of a far-right victory in the snap election. It emerged with the most MPs, but – like the centre and right-wing blocs – without a majority, resulting in a political deadlock.
After a series of consultations with political leaders, Macron, who as president is responsible for appointing a prime minister, ruled out Castets saying the French constitution required him to ensure “institutional stability”. He warned the threat of a vote of no confidence would topple an NFP-led government within 48 hours, bringing further political chaos.
Castets says Macron has been left with little choice but to appoint a prime minister from the NFP.
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“If he tries to appoint a government from the centre it will fall in 48 hours too. And if he tries to work with the far right, this would be extremely dangerous and not respect the result of the election. I don’t understand how he can hide behind the idea of stability while causing nothing but instability. I understand why people feel the election has been stolen from them.”
On Friday, Sophie Binet of the powerful CGT union that has called for nationwide demonstrations next Saturday, accused Macron of not respecting the election.
“Macron continues to aggravate the chaos he himself has created; he has not understood that being president of the republic does not mean having all the powers,” Binet said.
The NFP’s economic programme, heavily influenced by the hard-left LFI founded by Jean-Luc Mélenchon, has come under the strongest criticism. Macron’s government was seeking €25bn (£21bn) in cuts to reduce France’s deficit; the NFP says it would spend €150bn more.
Castets is irritated by warnings this would be “impossible to apply or finance” and cost a million jobs.
“We will finance each measure with new revenue, unlike the government. The accusation of economic irresponsibility irritates me because that’s not what we’re proposing at all. The NFP’s programme was heavily attacked on this aspect, so it’s important to say that these measures will only affect the ultra-rich. We want to correct flagrant tax injustices, with billionaires paying a lower percentage of tax than the middle classes.”
She added: “France is a rich country but people are getting increasingly poor, they don’t know if there’s going to be a teacher in front of their kids, they don’t know how long they’re going to wait in casualty if they break a leg, they don’t know how much their salary will be in a year. Who can accept that? Well apparently, Emmanuel Macron accepts that, but I think it’s unacceptable.”