“When you start negotiating, you don’t start by cutting off your finger and putting it on a plate, and you’re not going to make too many concessions right off the bat,” said a person with knowledge of the president’s thinking, speaking on condition of anonymity to be frank.
Choppy sea
But while Atal’s ascension to the top parliamentary post has given him a promising job, it doesn’t guarantee a golden retirement life.
First, the centrist coalition supporting Macron is in danger of collapsing. In a letter to Renaissance lawmakers on Friday, Darmanin warned that Atal’s election “will not resolve key issues” such as “where the party stands” or “how the party should be run.”
Meanwhile, MP Sacha Houllier announced he was leaving the Renaissance party and aiming to set up his own group instead, including MPs “from the socialist right to the socialist left”.
Atal would be at the heart of a new coalition government that would include centrists, but any deal with the right would mean risking losing left-wing politicians, while any deal with the left would mean losing the right.
Whatever coalition deal the outgoing prime minister wants to reach must be negotiated with former leader Macron, who, as president, has the power to appoint the next prime minister.
And if appointed, that person will need all the help they can get from congressional leaders, not just to pass legislation but to survive in a hanging Congress.
