France's hard-left La France Insoumise (France Unbowed, or LFI) party will hold a demonstration next month to protest President Emmanuel Macron's decision to postpone the formation of a new government, according to a statement. "The president puts democracy in grave danger by refusing the ballot results," the party stated on X. LFI has decided to join forces with youth organizations "for a major demonstration on Sept. 7 against Macron's power grab." The party is part of the left-wing alliance the New Popular Front (NFP), which claimed victory in the second round of snap parliamentary elections on July 7. NFP's candidate for prime minister, Lucie Castets, earlier urged people to "mobilize today" against what she described as "a denial of democracy." Macron began meetings with political parties last Friday to discuss the formation of a new government, more than six weeks after the second round of the elections. Following talks with political representatives on Monday, he announced that he would continue discussions rather than nominating a new prime minister, the French Presidency said in a statement. "My responsibility is that the country is neither blocked nor weakened," Macron said. The president also noted that the Socialist Party, the Greens, and the Communists "have not yet offered paths to cooperate with other political forces." He dismissed the possibility of forming an NFP government with Castets as prime minister, which provoked criticism from left-wing politicians. The NFP condemned Macron for stalling the process and called on him to appoint Castets as head of the new government. "We would attend the next talks with the president only to work on the terms and conditions" of this solution, the NFP said. LFI founder Jean-Luc Mélenchon announced Monday on X that his party will submit a motion of impeachment against Macron and vowed to propose a censure vote against a possible right-wing government. Olivier Faure, first secretary of the Socialist Party – another component of the NFP – told broadcaster France 2 on Tuesday that he would not attend the second round of talks, refusing to participate in a "parody of democracy." On Monday, the far-right National Rally (Rassemblement National or RN) party indicated it would likely vote against a potential left-wing government. Last Friday, Castets praised Macron for a "rich discussion" about forming a new government and stated that the NFP, which won the elections, should form a government and seek coalitions with parliamentary partners, according to broadcaster BFMTV. Faure informed reporters that Macron "did not announce a precise date for the nomination of a new prime minister but said it would be quick." The political process has stalled since the president delayed the nomination of a new prime minister and the formation of a new government due to the Paris Olympics, which concluded in mid-August. After weeks of internal strife, the victorious NFP proposed Castets as the next prime minister on July 23. Macron, however, said he would not name a prime minister until the end of the Games. He was also criticized for causing instability by accepting outgoing Prime Minister Gabriel Attal's resignation on July 16, after initially rejecting it on July 8, immediately following the second round of elections. Macron dissolved parliament and called for early elections after the RN secured more than 31% of the vote in the European Parliament elections on June 9, defeating his centrist bloc. The National Assembly has 577 seats, and no single alliance achieved an absolute majority of 289 legislators. The NFP could win more than 180 seats, according to results. The centrist alliance Together for the Republic, backed by Macron, finished second with over 160 seats, while the RN, led by Jordan Bardella and Marine Le Pen, secured over 140 seats despite finishing first in the first round on June 30. In the first round, the RN received 29.26% of the vote by itself (37 seats), a figure that rose to over 33% when combined with allies. — Agencies
