Regime Crisis in France
France: Only One Solution — A Left-Wing Government
by Vincent Boulet, Vice-President of the European Left
The third government has just fallen in less than a year. The latest one set a record as the shortest-lived government in France in a century. The failure of the last Prime Minister, Sébastien Lecornu, stems from two strategic dead ends in Emmanuel Macron’s political approach:
- Relying on the conservative right (which won only 6.6% in the last legislative elections), even as its base increasingly drifts toward rapprochement with the far right.
- And above all: refusing to acknowledge that the left came out ahead in the July 2024 legislative elections in terms of seats in the National Assembly. For the past 15 months, France’s ruling classes have tried by every means to prevent the left from taking power.
Amid deep political instability and the most serious regime crisis France has faced in 70 years, one thing is clear: the political maneuvering between a minority Macronist camp and a minority right, hoping for the benevolent abstention of the far right, no longer works. The danger is great that the far right will reap the benefits of political instability, as part of the bourgeoisie now sees it as a potential fallback option. This marks a major turning point in French history.
Yet an alternative exists. It is embodied by the social movement — through the mobilizations of September 10, September 18, and October 2. The demands are clear: repeal of the pension reform, investment in social protection, health, and retirement systems, and wage increases. The path forward does not lie in presidentialist temptation (forcing early presidential elections at all costs), but in popular mobilization — which must be given a political outlet.
The immediate priority today is the formation of a left-wing government based on the results of the July 2024 legislative elections. The President of the Republic must finally appoint a left-wing Prime Minister and government that will urgently bring before Parliament measures such as:
• An immediate €100 increase for workers and retirees
• The repeal of the pension reform and stronger social security
• Taxation of high incomes and capital gains, and the introduction of social and environmental criteria for the €211 billion in public subsidies granted to companies
• A €100 billion advance fund for investment, employment, and training in industry and public services
It is still possible to avoid the absolute disaster that the rise of the far right to power would represent in France. With a left-wing government reflecting the results of the 2024 elections, the center, right, and far right will be held accountable for their choices. Now is the time for the broadest possible mobilization of citizens, workers, and all the country’s progressive forces — left-wing, trade union, and civic organizations — in the name of progress and peace.