Leftist parties in France on Tuesday accused President Emmanuel Macron of election theft and announced mass protests after he rejected Nouveau Front Populaire’s proposed candidate for prime minister, even though the left-wing coalition won the most seats in a snap parliamentary contest last month.
The left-wing parties that formed NFP in June to fight off the surging far-right expressed outrage at Macron’s decision, with the Jean-Luc Mélenchon-led La France Insoumise (LFI) Party condemning Macron’s dismissal of a leftist government as a “coup” and urging a “firm response from French society.”
Backing demands from youth-led organizations, the party specifically called for “a large demonstration against Macron’s coup on September 7” and expressed “hope that the political, union, and allied forces committed to the defense of democracy will join this call.”
Marine Tondelier, the leader of France’s Green Party, said Tuesday that “this election is being stolen from us” and declared that “the people must get rid of Macron for the good of democracy.”
