PARIS (Reuters) -- French
President Emmanuel Macron refused to accept his prime minister’s resignation and met with opposition leaders on Tuesday as he sought a way out of a political predicament after losing his parliamentary majority.
Disaffected voters angry over spiraling inflation and Macron’s perceived indifference towards hard-up families delivered a hung parliament in Sunday’s election, leaving the president’s centrist alliance several dozen seats short of a ruling majority.
It means his centrist Ensemble bloc will need to find support from among the opposition benches in order to salvage his reform agenda.
Macron’s opponents said it was time he learned to listen to others and that support would come at a cost. Christian Jacob, leader of the conservative Les Republicains, said Macron had been “arrogant” during his first term.
Jacob made his remarks after holding an hour-long meeting with Macron.
Les Republicains provide the most obvious place for Macron to find support. The conservatives’ economic platform is largely compatible with Macron’s, including his plans to raise the retirement age by three years to 65.
However, the conservatives, whose past presidents include Nicolas Sarkozy and Jacques Chirac, have so far ruled out a formal German-style coalition pact.
Even so, Jacob said his party would be “responsible” and would not “block the institutions”, seemingly opening the door to cooperation on a bill-by-bill basis.
Macron’s camp has said it hoped to find moderates on both the political right and left with whom it can work.
The pro-European president who wants to deepen EU integration, make the French work longer, and build new nuclear plants, wants this week’s talks with the opposition “to identify possible constructive solutions,” the Elysee palace said.
Sunday’s elections delivered a fragmented parliament and plunged France into uncharted waters with no rule book on how to exit the crisis.
If Macron and his alliance fail to secure support, France could face a long spell of political gridlock that may later on compel Macron to dissolve parliament and call a new election.
Olivier Faure, leader of the Parti Socialiste, which joined the left-wing Nupes bloc ahead of the election, said his party could back some policy proposals - but only if Macron took on board their ideas.
No easy solution appears to be at hand and from Thursday Macron will be distracted by a week of international meetings abroad, including EU, G7 and NATO summits.