France's Le Pen calls for referendum to break political deadlock

Far-right leader says it would include a direct vote on key issues such as immigration, health care and security

Marine Le Pen at her parliamentary headquarters in Henin-Beaumont, northern France, on September 8. AFP

French far-right leader Marine Le Pen urged President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday to hold a referendum on key issues, suggesting it will help to break the current political deadlock facing the government.

Mr Macron appointed centre-right Michel Barnier as Prime Minister last week in a bid to move forward after June-July snap elections that resulted in a hung parliament.

However, analysts predict an upcoming period of instability for the country as Mr Barnier's hold on power seen as fragile and dependent on support from Ms Le Pen's Eurosceptic, anti-immigration National Rally (RN), which is the largest single party in the new National Assembly.

Marine Le Pen through the years – in pictures

The New Popular Front left-wing coalition, which emerged as France's largest political bloc after the elections, although well short of an overall majority, is also piling pressure on Mr Barnier.

More than 100,000 left-wing demonstrators rallied across France on Saturday to protest against his nomination and denounce Mr Macron's “power grab”.

On Sunday, Ms Le Pen urged Mr Macron to conduct a referendum on key issues such as immigration, health care and security to give the people a direct vote. The RN “will unreservedly support any approach aimed at giving people the power to decide directly”, Ms Le Pen said, speaking in the northern town of Henin-Beaumont, the far-right's stronghold.

“Emmanuel Macron himself, in the chaos he has created, has levers to keep our democracy live,” she added.

To prevent the RN from having an absolute majority and forming a government, about 200 candidates stood down ahead of the final round of the snap polls in July to avoid splintering the anti-RN vote, sparking the far-right's outrage.

Ms Le Pen indicated she would watch Mr Barnier's every move.

“If, in the coming weeks, the French are once again forgotten or mistreated, we will not hesitate to censure the government,” she added.

Speaking to reporters, Ms Le Pen, 56, also said she expected France to hold new legislative elections “within a year”. “This is good because I think that France needs a clear majority,” she said.

The left-wing coalition has also vowed to topple Mr Barnier with a no-confidence motion.

The alliance wanted Lucie Castets, a 37-year-old economist, to become prime minister, but Mr Macron quashed that idea, arguing that she would not survive a confidence vote.

French far-right leads after election first round – in pictures

Mr Barnier, who is working to form a government, held consultations with some of the country's key political players over the weekend. On Sunday, he met former prime minister Edouard Philippe, who has said he would seek to succeed Mr Macron in 2027, and Francois Bayrou, a centrist.

The French public are largely satisfied with Mr Macron's choice of prime minister, but believe he will not last long in his new post, according to a poll released on Sunday.

Fifty-two per cent of people polled said they were satisfied with the appointment of Mr Barnier, according to the Ifop poll for the Journal du Dimanche. By comparison, 53 per cent of respondents approved the nomination of Mr Barnier's predecessor, Gabriel Attal, when he was appointed prime minister in early January, becoming France's youngest-ever premier at 34.

According to the poll, a majority of respondents see Mr Barnier, the oldest Prime Minister in the history of modern France, as competent (62 per cent), open to dialogue (61 per cent) and likeable (60 per cent).

However, 74 per cent of respondents polled believe he would not last long in the post. Ifop polled 950 adults online on September 5-6. The margin of error was up to 3.1 points.