Why France is not ready for a Swiss-style government

Political figures who are open to compromise or coalitions are currently few and far between in France. Yet some observers see direct democracy as a way out of the current crisis. The situation is unprecedented in France under the Fifth Republic. The snap legislative elections held on June 30 and July 7 gave rise to three blocs, whose positions are almost irreconcilable. The New Popular Front (NFP, formed as a union of left-wing parties), which came in slightly in the lead, has almost nothing in common with President Emmanuel Macron’s Renaissance party (centrist), which has run the country for the past seven years. And neither grouping wants anything to do with Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally (RN). There are no signs of a majority emerging, and so there is no government for now. This novel predicament has left many political leaders in a state of denial. Just after the second round of voting, Jean-Luc Mélenchon of the hard-left France Unbowed (LFI) party declared that the ...