French President Emmanuel Macron is racing to appoint a new Prime Minister after Michel Barnier’s government collapsed on Wednesday.
Barnier resigned on Thursday, a day after opposition lawmakers voted to topple his government in a no-confidence motion.
Barnier’s downfall came after he failed to secure support for his budget, which included €60 billion in tax hikes and spending cuts. Lawmakers strongly opposed his budget and accused the PM of being inflexible.
Pressure To Name New PM
National Assembly President Yael Braun-Pivet urged Macron to act swiftly: “I recommend that he proceed quickly to the appointment of a prime minister… we must not leave things up in the air.“
Macron faces a daunting task in choosing a successor to Barnier, as he must appease lawmakers on both extremes of French politics.
Barnier himself wasn’t even the right candidate for PM. The New Popular Front alliance, which won the majority of seats in the July parliamentary election, was bypassed by Macron to choose Barnier in September as PM. Just three months later, the chickens have come home to roost.
France is now hurtling towards the end of the year without a stable government or a 2025 budget.
Even Macron himself is facing intensifying calls for his resignation as his popularity wanes.
Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right National Rally, blamed him for the crisis: “He’s the one most responsible for the current situation.“
The crisis is causing worries about France’s economic stability, with its debt approaching 111% of its GDP. The situation has also raised questions about Macron’s ability to lead the country effectively.
Macron plans to address the nation later this Thursday evening as pressure mounts on him to find a way out of the crisis. The president is expected to outline his plan for stabilizing the government.
In neighbouring Germany, the coalition government has recently collapsed, igniting wider worries about political stability in the European Union.
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