French President Emmanuel Macron addressed the nation Thursday following the resignation of ousted Prime Minister Michel Barnier, a day after a historic no-confidence vote at the National Assembly left France without a functioning government. without a functioning government.
In his speech, Macron vowed to stay in office until the end of his term in 2027 and announced that he will name a new prime minister within days but gave no hints as to who that might be.
He also laid blame at the door of his opponents on the far right for bringing down Barnier’s government.
They chose “not to do, but to undo”, Macron said, adding: “They chose disorder.”
The president said the far right and the far left had united in what he called “an anti-republican front” and stressed: “I won’t shoulder other people’s irresponsibility.”
Both the left-wing New Popular Front alliance and the far-right National Rally vowed to topple the government after the right-wing Barnier pushed an unpopular social security budget bill through parliament without a vote.
Macron confirmed that a special law will be presented by mid-December to enable the state to levy taxes from January 1 and avoid a shutdown.
“Public services will be operational, businesses will be able to work,” he said. The new government will then prepare a budget law for 2025, which will allow France to invest as planned in its military, its justice and police – and also to support struggling farmers, Macron said.
Earlier in the day, Macron officially accepted Barnier’s resignation following the no-confidence vote.
But Barnier and other ministers will remain “in charge of current affairs until the appointment of a new government”, the statement said.
The no-confidence motion passed by 331 votes in the National Assembly out of 574, forcing Barnier to step down after just three months in office – the shortest tenure of any prime minister in modern French history.
Macron faces the critical task of naming a replacement capable of leading a minority government in a parliament where no party holds a majority. Yaël Braun-Pivet, president of the National Assembly and a member of Macron’s party, urged the president to move quickly.
“I recommend he decide rapidly on a new prime minister,” Braun-Pivet said Thursday on France Inter radio. “There must not be any political hesitation. We need a leader who can speak to everyone and work to pass a new budget bill.”
The process may prove challenging. Macron’s administration has yet to confirm any names, though French media have reported a shortlist of centrist candidates who might appeal to both sides of the political spectrum.
Macron took more than two months to appoint Barnier after his party’s defeat in June’s legislative elections, raising concerns about potential delays this time.
The no-confidence vote galvanised opposition leaders, with some explicitly calling for Macron’s resignation.
“I believe that stability requires the departure of the President of the Republic,” said Manuel Bompard, leader of the far-left France Unbowed party, on BFM TV Wednesday night.
Far-right National Rally leader Marine Le Pen, whose party holds the most seats in the Assembly, stopped short of calling for Macron’s resignation but warned that “the pressure on the President of the Republic will get stronger and stronger”.
Macron, however, has dismissed such calls and ruled out new legislative elections. The French constitution does not call for a president to resign after his government was ousted by the National Assembly.
The constitution also holds that new legislative elections cannot be held until at least July, creating a potential stalemate for policymakers.
The political instability has heightened concerns about France’s economy, particularly its debt, which could rise to 7% of GDP next year without significant reforms.
Analysts say that Barnier’s government downfall could push up French interest rates, further entrenching the national debt. / FRANCE 24 with AP and Reuters
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