French President Emmanuel Macron lashed out at his allies on Friday in a meeting at the presidential palace, saying that they had made a "disastrous spectacle" of themselves since the snap parliamentary election. Participants at the meeting – attended notably by Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin and former prime minister Elisabeth Borne – told AFP that Macron had urged his allies to give priority "to the nation rather than premature ambition". Read our liveblog to see how all the day's events unfolded.
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Summary:
- French President Emmanuel Macron lashed out at his allies on Friday, telling a closed-door meeting at the presidential palace that they had made a "disastrous spectacle" of themselves since the snap parliamentary election by not giving priority "to the nation".
- France's political parties scrambled Friday to break a parliamentary deadlock brought on by an inconclusive snap election, as the outgoing prime minister Gabriel Attal vowed to prevent any government with far-right or hard-left members.
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Leaders of the New Popular Front have hinted at the possibility of a left-wing prime minister by the end of the week, but slow progress and internal rivalries, particularly between France Unbowed and the Socialist Party, cast doubt on the feasibility of a quick agreement.
Yesterday's key developments
- France's largest trade union the CGT called for nationwide protests on July 18, the day the newly elected parliament is supposed to meet, demanding that the left-wing alliance the New Popular Front form a government.
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President Emmanuel Macron urged France's mainstream political groups to come together and build a centrist coalition in an open letter addressed to the French on Wednesday, noting that no single bloc secured a majority in Sunday's elections.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)
