In the main courtyard of the Palais Bourbon, a sense of anticipation and uncertainty fills the air as deputies greet each other warmly. The primary concern on everyone's lips is the formation of the new parliamentary groups before the election of the future president of the National Assembly and the start of the 17th legislature. The recent surprise dissolution of the Assembly and the ensuing early legislative elections have left no absolute majority, casting doubt on the government's long-term stability.
During the previous legislature, there were ten parliamentary groups, including Renaissance, National Rally, LFI-Nupes, Horizons, and Liot. Political scientist Rémi Lefebvre notes an increasing 'logic of fragmentation,' though he does not foresee a significant multiplication of groups. The declarations and compositions of these groups will be published in the Official Journal on July 19. Until then, intense negotiations are underway to form groups, which must consist of at least fifteen deputies.
The National Rally, led by Marine Le Pen, appears stable with 126 deputies. Le Pen was re-elected as head of the parliamentary group without difficulty, and Jordan Bardella has urged the deputies to maintain impeccable conduct.
The Republicans are divided. Éric Ciotti, re-elected in the Alpes-Maritimes, announced the creation of a new parliamentary group called 'On the Right!' which will ally with the far-right party. Laurent Wauquiez was elected president of the LR parliamentary group, renamed 'The Republican Right,' while Aurélien Pradié, who recently left the party, is considering forming a new group.
Renaissance, the group associated with President Macron, is facing challenges. Only 40 out of 99 elected deputies had joined the group by the deadline. Sacha Houlié, representing the left wing of the presidential camp, has already announced that he will not join Renaissance and is working on forming a new group.
The MoDem group, with 33 re-elected deputies, has elected Agriculture Minister Marc Fesneau as its president. The Horizons & Related group, founded by former Prime Minister Édouard Philippe, is expected to have 27 members and may attract deputies from other factions.
The Liot group, despite the defeat of its outgoing president, is expected to reform with around twenty deputies. Insoumise France, led by Mathilde Panot, aims to expand its group to between 70 and 80 deputies. The socialists, another strong group of the New Popular Front, hope to surpass the Insoumis group with at least 69 deputies.
The GDR parliamentary group, consisting of communist and overseas deputies, faces the risk of disappearance as its numbers dwindle. Dissident Insoumis deputies have proposed creating a new left-wing group, which could also involve the Ecologist party, aiming to form a central left-wing group in the National Assembly.
