It’s over two and a half months since President Emmanuel Macron called snap elections for France’s National Assembly, in the name of “political clarification.” Yet the results on July 7 brought gridlock, with Macron’s camp losing eighty-six seats, and no coalition achieving a majority. His refusal to appoint a new government since then has raised questions over the French constitutional order, as it heads into uncharted waters.

Already right after the vote, Macron’s call for an “Olympic truce” prompted doubts over whether he had truly recognized his defeat. Then, this Monday, he announced that he would not name a prime minister from the first-placed coalition, the left-wing Nouveau Front Populaire (NFP). The NFP parties cried foul, insisting that their joint candidate, Lucie Castets, deserves a chance as prime minister.

Macron rejected Castets in the name of “institutional stability” — arguing that she would in any case have been no-confidenced when parliament returned in October. The NFP’s 193 seats leave it well short of a 289-seat majority in the 577-member National Assembly, and it would need others’ help to pass legislation. Yet the other blocs are in an even weaker position, with 166 seats for Macron’s camp and 142 for Marine Le Pen’s allies.