French president-elect angers ally with Parliament picks
REM unveiled over 400 candidates for June elections
committed themselves to try to renew things,” his spokesman Benjamin Griveaux said on Friday.
But as well as angering Bayrou, REM was forced to correct its list after around 10 people said they had not agreed to stand for the party or had never applied to be a candidate.
One was Mourad Boudjellal, the wealthy president of Toulon rugby club, who said that while he was flattered about being approached, “it is not my ambition” to enter politics.
The vice president of the farright National Front, Florian Philippot, accused Macron of “amateurism.”
The parliamentary selection process is seen as a tricky and risky balancing act for Macron, who will take over from widely unpopular Socialist Francois Hollande.
Without his own parliamentary majority, the former investment banker will find it hard to push through his planned reforms of the labor market, pensions, unemployment benefits or education.
Macron, a former economy minister in Hollande’s government, has so far failed to attract centrist members of the rightwing Republicans party, but still believes some will cross over before next Wednesday.
Before then, he faces other crucial decisions on his staff at the Elysee Palace and his first government.
The most important will be his choice for prime minister, who will head the government until at least the parliamentary elections on June 11 and 18 and perhaps beyond.
Amid feverish speculation in the French media — will he pick a loyal supporter or someone from the rightwing Republicans? — nothing has leaked from his small group of aides.
The choice will send a strong signal about Macron’s intentions, and he has promised to pick someone with past experience of Parliament and capable of managing a majority. His declared preference is for a woman.
Immediately after his swearingin, Macron will head to Berlin to meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel to start discussions about his ambitious plans for reforming the EU.
Macron wants to deepen integration in the 19-country eurozone, giving the zone its own budget, and wants to toughen the EU’s response to “unfair” industrial competition from countries such as China.