Politics French prime minister submits resignation - pressure on Macron
French Prime Minister Michel Barnier has submitted his resignation following a successful vote of no confidence in his centre-right government. President Emmanuel Macron, who himself is coming under increasing pressure in the political crisis, asked Barnier to remain in office with his government on a temporary caretaker basis, according to reports in Paris.
05.12.2024, 14:24
05.12.2024, 14:25
SDA
On Wednesday evening, the left-wing alliance and the right-wing nationalists of Marine Le Pen toppled the government, which had only been in office for three months, in parliament in a dispute over an austerity budget. Barnier will therefore go down as the prime minister with the shortest term in office in recent French history.
Macron under increasing pressure
President Macron wants to make a statement in the evening - this should shed light on what happens next. According to media reports, Macron wants to appoint a new head of government very quickly, as he is coming under increasing pressure in the political crisis.
The populist forces on the left and right in the Paris National Assembly are increasingly targeting Macron following the fall of the government. They are calling for him to resign or at least consider an earlier date for the presidential election. However, Macron has so far emphasized that he wants to remain in office until the end of his regular term in 2027.
Populists aspire to the presidency
The right-wing nationalist Marine Le Pen and the far-left Jean-Luc Mélenchon are accused by the government camp of fomenting the political crisis in France. Their aim is to bring Macron down prematurely so that they can then run in an early presidential election themselves. Macron cannot run again after two terms in office.
Highly indebted France in economic trouble
Macron is now under pressure to resolve the crisis quickly. On the one hand, he is keen to quickly find a stable government capable of taking action. This would take him out of the political firing line for the rest of his term of office.
On the other hand, highly indebted France is under pressure from Brussels to quickly adopt an austerity budget and restructure its public finances. This is also necessary in order to avert lasting economic damage to the country, as the confidence of companies and financial markets has been damaged by the political impasse. This has basically been going on since the summer - since the early parliamentary elections that Macron surprisingly called after the European elections.
France and Germany are weakening at the same time
Furthermore, in view of the war in Ukraine, the uncertainty ahead of the inauguration of future US President Donald Trump and the tensions in global trade, a strong France is actually needed on the international stage that is not paralyzed by domestic problems and budget issues. The driving force in the EU is also failing with the simultaneous weakening of France and Germany, where a new Bundestag will be elected earlier than planned in February.
The way out of the crisis in France is not easy, as the difficult balance of power in parliament since the election remains unchanged for the time being. Neither the left-wing camp, which won the parliamentary elections in the summer, nor Macron's centrist forces, nor the right-wing nationalists around Le Pen have a majority of their own. The search for a government is likely to be difficult once again. It seems unlikely that more than a minority government will be enough in the end.
