France's new lawmakers set to pick a speaker as political turmoil persists

France's influential lower house of parliament, the National Assembly, will elect its speaker on Thursday evening after a chaotic early election called by President Emmanuel Macron produced a hung legislature.

Two figures emerged as favorites after two nonconclusive rounds of vote: outgoing Speaker Yal Braun-Pivet of Macron's centrist party, and the candidate of the leftist coalition, communist lawmaker Andr Chassaigne.

The parliamentary election earlier this month resulted in a split between three major political blocs: the New Popular Front leftist coalition, Macron's centrist allies and the far-right National Rally party. None of them won an outright majority.

Thursday's opening session of the National Assembly comes two days after Macron accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Gabriel Attal and other ministers, but asked them to handle affairs in a caretaker capacity until a new government is appointed, as France prepares to host the Paris Olympics at the end of the month.

 

Speaking from Woodstock, England, where he was attending a summit of leaders from Europe, Macron declined to comment on the French political situation and refused to say when he intends to name a new prime minister.

''I will not answer that question,'' he said.

Politicians from the three main blocs and smaller parties have waged a battle for the job of speaker, with each camp seeking to make a show of force in the hope that it will influence Macron's decision.

In the first and second round, no candidate was able to get the minimum requested of half the votes cast by the 577 lawmakers in the National Assembly.

In the third round, the one who obtains the most votes wins.

Members of the New Popular Front, which won the most seats in the assembly, urged the president to turn to them to form the new government. Yet its main parties, the hard-left France Unbowed, the Socialists, the Greens and the Communists, are still feuding among themselves over whom to choose as their prime ministerial candidate.

After days of tense discussions, they agreed on a joint candidacy for the job of speaker and picked Chassaigne, 74, a key figure of the Communist party. Chassaigne has been a lawmaker since 2002 and is known for his deep involvement in parliamentary work.

Braun-Pivet, 53, has been the speaker of the National Assembly since 2022 and may retain her post with the support of Macron's centrist allies and votes from conservative lawmakers who may seek to prevent the left from getting the job.

Unions and left-wing activists staged protests Thursday across the country to put pressure on Macron to choose a prime minister who comes from the New Popular Front.

There is no firm timeline for when the president must name a new prime minister.