Polski, Deputy Mayor of Paris: NFP 'elected for change, we need to send a strong message of change'

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00:00France's left-wing New Popular Front has started discussions on how best to form a

00:07new government, after coming first in the second round of the legislative elections

00:11on Sunday.

00:12It's going to be the start of a long process, given the Bloc does not have an overall majority.

00:17The choice of Prime Minister is also going to be significant, with a number of the parties

00:21jostling for influence.

00:23One figure who has risen to prominence over the past month is Green Party leader Marine

00:28She spoke on Monday, and let's hear what she had to say.

00:34We have to succeed, it's that simple.

00:36There are always solutions in front of us.

00:38We were here four weeks ago, everyone was saying it's never going to work and why is

00:42this program taking so long, you've been working on it for 24 hours, well yes, it's a program

00:47for France, so it will take at least a few days.

00:50So finding a solution to govern this country in an unprecedented political situation, well

00:55it's not that we're not ready, it's because it's unprecedented.

00:58It's going to take some time.

01:01And for more on this, I can bring in Olivia Polsky, who is a Deputy Mayor of Paris and

01:05a Socialist member of the City Council here in the French capital.

01:09Good morning Olivia, this is a situation unprecedented in the Fifth Republic, and what are the options

01:15for the new Popular Front to form a government?

01:19We were the first, so we are able to propose a prime minister, and we have already a common

01:28platform and then we are discussing, because we are four parties in that left-wing coalition,

01:37so we will propose a prime minister name, and I hope because the French people ask for

01:46a change that we will have the possibility to pass some reforms about the purchase power

01:59and the retirement reform too.

02:03So we will give a name till the end of the week, I think.

02:11And the new Popular Front has been relatively united in this election.

02:15Just weeks after all of the factions faced off against each other in the European elections.

02:20But is the choice of selecting a prime minister, is that going to be divisive, do you think?

02:27I don't think so.

02:28I think we will find a name easily.

02:31We are responsible.

02:32I mean, it's a historical moment.

02:35We know that the far-right has its historical score, so we have to be responsible, and we

02:48know that the French people are waiting for us, otherwise in 2027 the far-right will pass.

02:57And both Jean-Luc Mélenchon of La France Insoumise and Olivier Faure of the Socialist

03:04Party have said that they will not compromise on the new Popular Front's programme.

03:09But how realistic is this?

03:10Will a minority government be able to get much done in cohabitation, as we call it here

03:15in France, with Emmanuel Macron's presidency?

03:18Well, we will have to discuss with the others, of course, but we were elected for a change,

03:25so we need to send a message, a strong message of change.

03:32So we have some reforms we want to pass, and of course we will have to discuss them.

03:40And the national rally was seen off on Sunday, but it did reasonably well all the same.

03:46Its vote held up and it managed to get a record number of MPs elected.

03:52So what is the left's best hope of stemming the far-right's rise in the three years leading

03:57up to the 2027 presidential election?

04:02Well, we do have, we should not deceive the people, otherwise she will pass.

04:09So that's why Emmanuel Macron has to listen to what happened, because if he's still arrogant,

04:17they will pass.

04:18So we will have to succeed in some social messages, I'm sure, and social messages and

04:25of course about the security, which is another point, important.

04:31And will the respective parties in the new Popular Front be using this as a trial run

04:36for that presidential race in 2027?

04:40Can we expect to see that unity three years down the line?

04:44Well, we'll see.

04:47It's quite difficult.

04:48We'll have to discuss with the others and it's hard to answer now.

04:55Okay.

04:56Thank you very much for that, Olivia Polsky of the Socialist Party and a deputy mayor

05:00of Paris.

05:01Thank you.

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