Following the snap legislative elections in France on June 30 and July 7, a globalist coalition supporting President Emmanuel Macron has secured the presidency of the National Assembly despite coming second in seats and third in the popular vote. They did so with the help of a rump of supposedly “center-right” lawmakers from Les Républicains (the Republicans), who behave in broadly similar fashion to Republicans-in-name-only (RINOs) in the United States.

Amidst a parliamentary landscape divided chiefly between the far-left New Popular Front (NFP) coalition, the Macronist coalition, and Marine Le Pen’s populist National Rally (RN), Macron’s MPs successfully re-elected Yaël Braun-Pivet as the leader of the National Assembly.

Braun-Pivet clinched victory in the third round of voting with 220 votes, surpassing Communist politician André Chassaigne with 207 votes and RN candidate Sébastien Chenu with 141 votes, thanks to Republican backing.

Braun-Pivet, who became the first woman President of the National Assembly in 2022, faces renewed criticism from the far-left NFP parties following the election outcome.

“Through an undisclosed agreement with Les Républicains, the [Macron]-backed candidate has reclaimed the presidency of the National Assembly after three consecutive defeats in European and legislative elections,” stated Olivier Faure, the Socialist Party’s first secretary, in reference to the Macronists dire performance in the European elections and two rounds of French national elections. “This constitutes a blatant disregard for democracy,” Faure said of the deal.

As the fourth-highest official in the French state, the President of the National Assembly oversees debates in the Chamber and wields substantial powers of appointment, including appointments to the Constitutional Council.

However, the coalition supporting the Macronist candidate is narrow, lacking the dominance needed to truly govern the National Assembly. France continues to grapple with a political crisis since the dissolution of June 9.

Following the vote returning a Macronist to power in the legislature, the General Confederation of Labour (CGT) called for a demonstration in Paris, urging President Macron to appoint a prime minister from the NFP, which emerged as the largest group of parties in the recent legislative elections.