French hard left seeks backing for Macron impeachment

Hard-left party France Unbowed on Saturday (Aug 31) asked other political groupings to back its long-shot bid to impeach President Emmanuel Macron for “serious failings” in his constitutional duties.
Macron has been in a face-off with France Unbowed (LFI) and its Green, Socialist and Communist allies over his refusal to name their candidate Lucie Castets prime minister after July’s inconclusive parliamentary election.
While their NFP alliance won the most seats, no single bloc has a majority in a chamber split largely between the left, Macron’s centrists and the far-right National Rally (RN).
“The National Assembly (lower house) and Senate can and must defend democracy against the president’s authoritarian leanings” LFI lawmakers wrote in a draft impeachment resolution.
Their parliamentary leader Mathilde Panot said they had sent the document to other MPs to gather signatures.
Any attempt to oust Macron via the impeachment process outlined in Article 68 of France’s constitution faces high hurdles to success, ultimately requiring two-thirds of members of the Assembly and Senate combined to approve it.
LFI argues that it is not up to the president “to do political horsetrading”, taking aim at Macron’s efforts since July to find a prime minister who would not be immediately ousted in a confidence vote.
Many constitutional experts, however, argue that the Fifth Republic’s 1958 founding document, written on the assumption the electoral system would produce a clear majority, is vague on the correct course of action in a hung parliament.
Macron has justified his refusal to name Castets as head of government by saying it is his duty to ensure “institutional stability”.