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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.