A coalition of France’s left-wing parties on Tuesday tapped a little-known civil servant to be prime minister, unexpectedly ending weeks of bickering after snap parliamentary elections plunged the country into political gridlock.
President Emmanuel Macron immediately rejected the coalition’s pick, Lucie Castets. In his first interview since the elections, Mr. Macron announced that he would not appoint a new government until mid-August at the earliest. He stated that his current cabinet would remain in a caretaker capacity during the Paris Summer Olympics, which are set to begin this week.
The French president has the exclusive authority to appoint the prime minister and the cabinet. While the appointment should ideally reflect the political balance in Parliament, there is no constitutional deadline for this decision.
The left-wing coalition, the New Popular Front, released a statement confirming their selection of Ms. Castets, a 37-year-old civil servant with a background in France’s treasury and its anti-money-laundering unit. Currently, she manages financial affairs at Paris City Hall.
The New Popular Front, which secured the most seats in the recent snap elections for the National Assembly, expressed their full support for Ms. Castets. She is a graduate of the prestigious École Nationale d’Administration and is an active member of a civil servants’ association that has been critical of President Macron’s policies.
