Emmanuel Macron’s party formed a last–minute agreement with right-leaning lawmakers to win a key vote in parliament on Thursday that opens the door to the French president playing a greater-than-expected role in forming the country’s next government.

The two political groups put together an ad-hoc alliance to reelect Yaël Braun-Pivet as head of the French National Assembly, the fourth highest-ranking official in France. The vote was widely seen as a test to see who could work together in France’s fractured parliament to name a future prime minister.

In combining their forces, the centrists and the center right seized political momentum while also delivering a stunning blow to their rivals further to the left.

MBFC
Archive