The Olympics are over, and so is the illusion that everything is fine in France.
The Olympics ended on Sunday, and President Emmanuel Macron, who mostly deals with French sports successes during the competitions, is forced to turn his attention to the political crisis he caused himself, reports Euractiv.
According to the Brussels paper, the issue of reducing public spending is becoming more and more urgent, which may cause voter anger.
"Now we have to wake up from this beautiful dream," a French pensioner in the fan zone told Euractiv. "It's sad that we have to go back to the daily routine, without a government, with parliamentary squabbles, when during the games it was all about joy."
France went to the Olympics without being able to form a government after the early election. Macron postponed the appointment of the new prime minister, claiming that he would make the decision after the Olympics. The left-wing coalition, which triumphed in the elections, has not yet been able to come up with a candidate that the president would have found suitable.
At the start of the games, mysterious sabotage against rail and telecommunications targets seemed an ominous omen, but thereafter the event proceeded without further security alerts.
So far, Macron has simply not dealt with the prime ministerial candidate chosen by the left alliance.
Forty-one-year-old Lucie Castets is a relatively unknown politician. Macron is not expected to appoint Castets as he needs a candidate who can survive a no-confidence vote. The president is expected to appoint a centrist.
"We need someone who can speak to the center, the right and the left," a source close to Macron told the newspaper. According to the person speaking to Euractiv, one possible option is Xavier Bertrand, who was a minister under Jacques Chirac.
Whoever Macron appoints will face a difficult task, with parliamentary approval of the 2025 budget his top priority at a time when both the European Commission and bond markets are putting pressure on France to reduce its budget deficit.
"If Macron tries to appoint some kind of right-wing government, there will be no budget," said Eric Coquerel, the left-wing head of parliament's finance committee. Expect similar resistance on the right.
Cover image: French President Emmanuel Macron
Source: MTI/EPA/AFP pool/John Thys
