Macron to Name New PM, Excludes Far-Right and Left

The French political scene has entered a phase of tense anticipation. President Emmanuel Macron invited the leaders of political parties to the Elysée Palace on October 10, ahead of the appointment of a new prime minister. However, this meeting took on a scandalous tone from the outset, as the list of invitees excludes representatives of the country's two largest opposition forces: the far-left "La France Insoumise" (LFI) and the far-right "National Rally" (RN).

The invitation, which was sent to party leaders around two o'clock in the morning, took politicians by surprise. A total of 17 people were invited, including Gabriel Attal ("Renaissance"), François Bayrou ("MoDem"), Édouard Philippe ("Horizons"), Olivier Faure (Socialist Party), Marine Tondelier (The Greens), Laurent Wauquiez ("The Republicans"), and Fabien Roussel (Communist Party).

This move comes as the country awaits the announcement of the new head of government. Outgoing Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu had stated on October 8 that Macron should appoint a successor "within the next 48 hours."

Two main scenarios are being discussed among the invitees. According to the first, President Macron will appoint the new prime minister before the meeting and will use the meeting to explain and justify his decision to the party leaders.

According to the second scenario, the meeting will be consultative in nature. Macron will try to "test" the name of his preferred candidate through the reactions of the political forces before making the final appointment. In this case, the prime minister's name will be announced after the meeting.

In any case, not inviting the extremist forces to the meeting is seen as a clear message from Macron that he does not intend to cooperate with those poles of the political spectrum. The coming hours will show what political configuration the French President prefers to form at this crucial moment for the country.