[r00fus]

You know if this ever happened in another European country where the main parties were asleep at the wheel and a newcomer takes the stage - this sounds like a trial balloon to see how Europe likes cancelling democracy when it doesn't suit the ruling players.

France is another case where the main ruling parties (PS, LR and even ENS) have lost legitimacy but they paint the newcomers in ascendancy (RN, LFI) as both "useful idiots of the Russians" and "antisemitic". Then the President decides to break norms and not follow the will of the people in his choice of PM (typically should go to the party with most votes in assembly) - and faces no reprimand from the institutions.

Both of these are tests what needs to happens so Europe remains tied to NATO and the US. But these are both symptoms of a decaying order.

[jowea]

Meh, IMHO the actually important rule is that parliament has to consent to the PM. He appointed someone else that had a majority tolerating him, and then parliament changed its mind and now Macron has to pick someone else. The left only has a plurality not a majority. Why should that guarantee they get to pick a PM?

If the results were 30% centrists, 30% leftists, 40% RN would you be calling for a RN PM?

[r00fus]

Macron chose someone from the lowest-vote party (LR) to spit in the faces of the voters. The largest bloc was leftists, so they should have gotten an opportunity to form a government. But even if he decided his future was with the extreme right, choosing an RN PM would have made sense.

But no, he chose a personal ally who nobody liked.