PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron vowed Thursday to stay in office until the end of his term in 2027 and said he would name a new prime minister within days to resolve the political stalemate following the resignation of the president Overcome ousted Prime Minister Michel Barnier.
Macron struggled a day after a historic vote of no confidence triggered by budget disputes in the National Assembly left France without a functioning government. He blamed his opponents on the far right for the fall of Barnier’s government.
“They chose disorder,” he said.
The president said the far right and far left had united in what he called an “anti-Republican front” and stressed: “I will not take on other people’s irresponsibility.”
He said he would name a new prime minister within days but gave no indication of who that might be.
Earlier, Macron “took note” of Barnier’s resignation after just three months in office – the shortest term for a prime minister in newfangled French history.
Macron recognizes his own responsibility
While Macron criticized his political opponents, he also acknowledged what he described as his own responsibility for the chaos currently rocking French politics and alarming financial markets.
He repeated his decision in June to dissolve parliament. This triggered the crisis and led to parliamentary elections, which created the now vacated Parliament, divided into three minority blocs that do not have enough seats to govern alone.
“I am aware that this decision was not understood. Many have criticized me for this,” Macron said. However, he argued: “I think it was necessary” to let French voters have their say.
The next priority is to pass a budget law
Macron said the new prime minister “will be tasked with forming a government of general interest.”
He confirmed that a special law would be presented by mid-December to allow the state to collect taxes based on this year’s rules from January 1 and avoid a shutdown.
“Public services will be operational, businesses will be able to operate,” he said.
The new government will then prepare a budget law for 2025 that will allow France to invest in its military, judiciary and police as planned – and also support farmers in need, Macron said.
How to achieve “the impossible”.
In addition to his own domestic political and financial difficulties – not least France’s rising debt – Macron noted that the country is facing numerous international challenges, pointing to the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.
He looked back at the Paris Olympics in July and August and looked forward to the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral this weekend. He argued that France can emerge from this latest political crisis if it puts its mind to it.
“It’s a testament that we know how to do great things, that we know how to achieve the impossible,” he said.
“Twice this year the world has admired us for this,” he said, referring to hosting the Olympics and restoring Notre Dame. “Well, for the nation we must do the same.”
Pressure to act quickly
Macron faces the crucial task of naming a successor to Barnier who is capable of leading a minority government in a parliament where no party has a majority. Yaël Braun-Pivet, President of the National Assembly and a member of Macron’s party, called on the president to act quickly.
“I recommend that he decide quickly on a new prime minister,” Braun-Pivet said on France Inter radio on Thursday. “There can be no political hesitation. We need a leader who can speak to everyone and advocate for the passage of a new budget bill.”
The process can prove challenging. French media have reported on a shortlist of centrist candidates who could appeal to both sides of the political spectrum.
Calls for Macron’s resignation
The no-confidence vote galvanized opposition leaders, some of whom explicitly called for Macron’s resignation.
“I believe that stability requires the resignation of the President of the Republic,” Manuel Bompard, leader of the far-left France Unbowed party, said on BFM television on Wednesday evening.
The far-right leader of the Rassemblement Nationale, Marine Le Pen, whose party holds the most seats in the assembly, did not necessarily call for Macron’s resignation but warned that “the pressure on the president of the republic will only grow stronger.”
The French constitution does not provide for a president to resign after his government is overthrown by the National Assembly. It also says new parliamentary elections could not take place until July at the earliest, creating a possible stalemate for policymakers.
There is a threat of economic uncertainty
Political instability has increased concerns about the French economy, particularly debt, which could rise to 7% of GDP next year without significant reforms.
Analysts say the fall of the Barnier government could push up French interest rates and push up debt even further.
Ratings agency Moody’s warned behind schedule Wednesday that the fall of the government “reduces the likelihood of consolidation of public finances” and deepens the political deadlock.
The teachers’ protest takes on a political tone
A planned protest by teachers against education budget cuts took on a new tone on Thursday as demonstrators in Paris linked their demands to the political crisis.
“Macron has stopped!” read a sign posted by Dylan Quenon, a 28-year-old teacher at a middle school in Aubervilliers, north of Paris.
Quenon said Macron bears responsibility for what he called the dismantling of public services such as schools. “The only way to change this is to remove him from office,” he said.
Protesters expressed little hope that Macron’s next candidate would change course.
“I’m glad this government is falling, but it could potentially lead to something even worse,” said Élise De La Gorce, a 33-year-old teacher in Stains, north of Paris.
