“At the stadium for Spain-France” –

After the cold shower of the polls’ verdict, President Emmanuel Macron is delaying before speaking, dedicating himself to a busy agenda of commitments both at home and abroad, leaving in two days for Washington for the G7. The French press reports that Macron spent much of the night with his aides and government officials, including outgoing Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin, analyzing the results of the legislative elections. “We are waiting for the new Assembly to be structured,” sources in the Head of State’s entourage said yesterday evening, postponing an official statement and the most important decisions presumably to next week, precisely because of his busy agenda. For observers, this might mean the date of July 18 and the election of a new president of the National Assembly, thus leaving the parties with the task of finding a solution through a new vote.

So far, the first concrete political step of the head of the Elysée, who emerged weakened from the legislative elections, is the request to Prime Minister Gabriel Attal to remain in office “for the time being”, to ensure “the stability of the country”. This morning, the Elysée website indicates that “the President’s agenda is being updated”. It does not appear that Macron will speak, even today, and there will be no Council of Ministers, even though he rejected Attal’s formal resignation. At the Elysée, he is engaged in talks with members of his Renaissance party, including some ministers, while Minister Darmanin is receiving 30 members of the presidential majority for lunch. What is certain, however, is that the French head of state will fly to Washington on Wednesday morning, to participate in the NATO summit celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Alliance; an event that will last until Thursday.

Before then, according to some rumors relaunched by BfmTv, Macron might travel to Munich, Germany, to attend the semi-final of the Euro 2024 football championships between Spain and France at the Allianz Arena, tomorrow at 9 p.m. However, this possibility has not yet been confirmed. Although he asked Prime Minister Attal to remain in office, in France all attention is now focused on choosing the future Prime Minister, in the total absence of a consensual name. No majority has emerged for any of the three political blocs; therefore, the formation of a future government will depend on the creation of new coalitions and alliances. Constitutionally, President Macron is not obliged to choose his Prime Minister, nor to set a deadline for his appointment. Next weekend will instead be characterized by July 14 and the traditional celebrations for the national holiday. The military parade has been moved to Avenue Foch, still in the eighth arrondissement of Paris, due to the installation of the structures for the Paris Olympic Games. As is customary, the ceremony will be presided over by the Head of State, but it is not yet clear whether he will give a television interview for that occasion. “We have just come out of a three-week lightning campaign, a very short time contraction,” commented political scientist Dorian Breuil. In this case, “we must let the results and democracy breathe a bit to find a way out that allows the institutions to function,” predicted the expert from the well-known Fondation Jean-Jaurès. The fact remains, emphasizes the broadcaster BfmTv, that Emmanuel Macron, who described himself as the “master of watches”, will also have to deal with the agenda and negotiations within the parties. The leaders of the New Popular Front (NFP) have announced that they intend to present “a candidacy” for the post of prime minister “this week”.