Interview
‘People
feel the election has been stolen’ – French left’s Lucie Castets on Macron’s
political deadlock
Kim Willsher
in Paris
In an
exclusive interview, New Popular Front leader and leftwing candidate for PM
says she is talking to centrists and willing to rein in proposals on taxes and
pensions
Sat 31 Aug
2024 16.18 BST
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.
“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.”
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