Meet Lucie Castets, the French PM-hopeful vowing to be a thorn in Macron’s side

Lucie who?

The French left-wing New Popular Front (NFP) has put forward as their choice for prime minister a previously unknown municipal technocrat who didn’t even have a Wikipedia page until her announcement was publicized.

Lucie Castets — a 37-year-old graduate of the prestigious École nationale d’administration, like President Emmanuel Macron — has served as the city of Paris’ Chief Financial Officer since last October, following a decade in senior government roles. A member of the Socialist Party during her youth, Castets quickly transitioned to activism, leading a collective of civil servants advocating for public services.

Apart from a viral clip in 2022, where Castets sparred with then-Minister of Public Service Stanislas Guérini over the government’s reliance on consultancy firms, and a few sporadic media appearances, she has largely stayed out of the public eye.

Now, the Caen-born official is stepping into the spotlight. In a series of media appearances since getting the nod from the NFP, Castets made it clear she intends to force Macron’s hand in appointing her.

A technocrat with a vision

Castets announced on Tuesday that she had accepted the NFP’s offer “in all humility but with great conviction” shortly after the coalition’s announcement, positioning her candidacy as “credible and serious.”

Her boss, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, was immediately on board, lauding her budget management skills.

Communist Senator Ian Brossat, who worked with Castets in his previous role as Paris’ deputy mayor for housing, described her as “more than just a competent technocrat.”

“She’s someone with an authentically left-wing, progressive political vision. It’s not just someone walking around with an Excel file; she has the values needed to make good use of it,” he told POLITICO.

An early poll from Elabe indicates that 41 percent of respondents believe Macron should appoint Castets as the head of government, while 58 percent disagree. The NFP was backed by 28 percent of voters in the first round of the French snap elections.

Castets’ role in Paris’s administration has drawn criticism, particularly regarding the city’s rising debt, projected to reach between €7.9 and 8.9 billion by 2026, up from €6.6 billion at the end of 2020 according to a report from the regional audit court. The court pressed the city to implement “further efforts to control operating expenses” in order to guarantee the “viability” of the Paris’ public investments.

Lucie Castets has served as the city of Paris’ Chief Financial Officer since last October. | Joel Saget/AFP via Getty Images

Castets responded by noting that Paris’ debt woes are much less worrisome than those of the French state, whose debt is now the largest in Europe at €3.1 trillion.

“It’s a little ironic to hear lessons from the people responsible for the French state’s debt,” Castets said in an interview on French radio on Wednesday.

Macron’s plan to stop the left

The French left’s opponents have all but written off Castets, seeing the NFP’s proposal as nothing more than a public relations stunt.

“Being prime minister is no walk in the park, you can’t just improvise parliamentary work,” a heavyweight from the centrist Renaissance party, who was granted anonymity to speak candidly, told POLITICO, arguing that the next prime minister would likely come from the pro-Macron ranks rather than the left.

Julien Odoul, a spokesman for the far-right National Rally, said Castets will “never” be prime minister and likened the current media attention on her to “hot air.”

French political tradition dictates that the president appoint a prime minister from the majority coalition or party after legislative elections. Since the pan-left coalition’s surprise victory in this summer’s snap elections, it has repeatedly maintained it should be given the opportunity to form a government.

Macron has resisted those calls, arguing that the NFP, despite finishing first, lacks the parliamentary majority needed to govern effectively.

Shortly after Castets’ candidacy was announced on Tuesday, the French president in an interview dismissed her chances of becoming PM and reiterated his call for a political pause during the Olympic.

The New Popular Front was backed by 28 percent of voters in the first round of the French snap elections. | Pat Batard and Hans Lucas via Getty Images

Macron, whose coalition lost more than a third of its representation during the snap elections, reiterated his claim that “no one” had won the vote and seemed to argue a Castets government would immediately be toppled. The left controls 193 seats in the National Assembly, short of the 289 threshold needed for an absolute majority, which would make it vulnerable to votes of no confidence.

“It’s not about a name given by a political party,” Macron said. “It’s about what majority can be built in the National Assembly so a French government is able to pass reforms, pass a budget and get France to move forward.”

The Olympic pause requested by Macron could, however, give Castets a few weeks to strengthen her case and put pressure on the French president — especially with every leader on the left now speaking in one voice and rallying behind her.