Macron will speak to the country following the fall of the Barnier cabinet.
One day after Prime Minister Michel Barnier was removed in a no-confidence vote. French President Emmanuel Macron will speak to the country Thursday evening.
Before Barnier even submitted his resignation Thursday morning. There were already a number of names circulating for a new prime minister. Including centrist former presidential candidate François Bayrou, Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, and Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu.
However. It might take some time to come up with a name that would not be instantly rejected by one of the major parliamentary factions. As was the case during the summer when former Prime Minister Gabriel Attal served as caretaker for two months.
In the meanwhile, Barnier is probably going to be requested to stay in his position.
Only three months after Barnier was nominated by Macron. His administration fell apart when MPs overwhelmingly supported the resolution against him.
The vote on Wednesday night marked the first time in over 60 years that a French government has been overthrown by parliament.
Following the former Brexit negotiator’s use of extraordinary powers to push through his budget without a vote. Marine Le Pen’s far right and the left-wing New Popular Front joined forces to criticize Barnier’s government.
The proposal received 331 votes, which is far higher than the 288 needed to pass.
The budget that led to Barnier’s downfall was automatically withdrawn, but he is now required to deliver his government’s resignation.
Barnier’s resignation has no constitutional bearing on Macron’s role as president.
Despite Macron’s insistence that it is not possible. A number of opposition leaders are becoming more vocal about their desire to pressure him to step down and hold early presidential elections.
Macron’s choice to name moderate Barnier as prime minister instead of its own nominee had already drawn criticism from the left-wing alliance New Popular Front (NFP). Which took home the most seats in the parliamentary elections.
The far-right National Rally (RN) also said that Barnier’s budget. Which included €60 billion (£49 billion) to reduce the deficit, was unacceptable.
The RN leader, Marine Le Pen, claimed that the budget was “poison for the French.”
Barnier informed the National Assembly prior to the vote that the nation’s financial issues would not be resolved if he were to be removed from office.
He stated that “we need to look at the realities of our debt” and that “we have reached a moment of truth. Of accountability.”
“I wanted to, but I did not present nearly exclusively challenging measures.”
Le Pen stated that removing Barnier was “no other solution” in an interview with the French television TF1 on Wednesday.
In response to a question concerning the future of the French president. She stated: “I am not asking for the resignation of Emmanuel Macron.”
But more and more of her supporters are publicly expressing their desire to pressure him into stepping down. The president was described as “a fallen republican monarch. Advancing with his shirt exposed and a rope around his neck up to the next dissolution [of parliament] by. RN adviser Philippe Olivier to Le Monde.
The current impasse in the Assembly, where no faction can claim to have a functional majority. Is expected to remain as no fresh legislative elections can be scheduled before July.
