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6 months ago
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FRENCH President Emmanuel Macron is clinging onto power after another damaging political blow saw his government left in disarray.
The government collapsed last night after a historic vote of no-confidence was passed against Prime Minister Michel Barnier in the National Assembly.
AP
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AFPMacron is now on the hunt for his sixth PM during his stint as president but it comes amid calls for him to ultimately resign.
The president has constantly vowed to serve out his term until 2027 despite his political rivals now calling for him to step down immediately.
The deputy of the far-left La France Insoumise party, Manuel Bompard, claimed today that Macron must leave to regain a stable country.
He told RTL France: “We are facing a situation of instability.
“I do not see, given the configuration of the National Assembly and the inability to compromise, a stable situation emerging.”
He also warned the next PM that they are walking into a poisoned seat.
Bompard is adamant that another Macron ally shouldn’t be gifted the prestigious role like before as all it does is reinforce France’s “democratic problem”.
Outgoing Barnier has already met with Macron today and is expected to formally announce his registration later today.
The 73-year-old former EU Brexit negotiator was only appointed in September – making him the shortest serving prime minister in French history.
Macron is also due to address the nation in a televised speech, according to the Elysee presidential palace.
The latest polls out of Paris say the people feel they are entering a period of politics that is incapable of ever moving forwards under a Macron government.
Almost two-thirds of French citizens say they are in favour of him handing in his resignation, according to a Toluna-Harris survey for RTL.
A staggering 64 per cent of respondents agreed Macron should step aside immediately.
A whopping 94 per cent of people from the La France Insoumise party also voted in favour of Macron’s end.
Another 82 per cent of citizens say they now fear the future of France hangs in the balance with many worried about the economy in particular.
Former leader of the Union for a Popular Movement, Jean-Francois Cope, agreed with the people’s feelings.
He told Franceinfo that the country won’t be able to continue under Macron until 2027 due to the constant cycle of issues.
Macron must accept that under him France’s democracy is clouded and unable to ever move on, Cope added.
France is already heading towards a period of political paralysis due to the latest PM departure with many predicting economic disaster too.
French bonds and stocks are already being sold off at an alarming rate as borrowing costs are now spiralling.
What happens now with France's government?
EVEN though the no-confidence vote has now passed, PM Barnier will remain in his role until a new leader is picked by Macron.
Any new government is unlikely to be a majority, as none of the parties are near the threshold of 289 required.
Instead, a “technocratic” government would form – and the new prime minister would hold very little actual power until elections can next be held in summer 2025.
Macron was already in a weak position after France’s summer elections, which forced him into a partnership with the political right.
His last prime minister, Gabriel Attal, also headed up a caretaker government and regularly had to use a constitutional tool to force through laws.
This chaotic period severely dented Macron’s credibility as president.
The successful no-confidence vote against Barnier will surely make Macron less effective as a president – and his popularity could tumble even further.
The next presidential elections are in 2027, so Macron will remain in his post until then – if he can hang on.
Macron has no obligation to resign from his post now that the no-confidence vote ahs passed at the parliament.
AFP
AFP
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