(CLO) French President Emmanuel Macron is once again urgently looking for a replacement for Prime Minister Michel Barnier after his minority government was ousted in a vote of no confidence on December 4.
As is known, Mr. Michel Barnier had to resign as Prime Minister of France after less than 3 months in office, becoming the shortest-serving Prime Minister in modern French history after President Macron officially accepted his resignation.
That also means Mr. Macron will have to find the sixth Prime Minister for France since he was elected President in 2017. Mr. Barnier is even the third person to hold the position of leader of the French Government in 2024, besides Ms. Élisabeth Borne and Mr. Gabriel Attal. The previous two were Messrs. Édouard Philippe and Jean Castex.
French President Emmanuel Macron. Photo: GI
President Macron is currently in discussions with allies and senior politicians to quickly appoint a new prime minister. François Bayrou, a veteran centrist politician and close ally of Macron, is mentioned by the French media as a potential candidate. In addition, outgoing Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu is also considered a strong candidate.
According to some sources, President Macron wants to make a decision before the inauguration of Notre Dame Cathedral next Saturday, an event attended by many world leaders, including US President-elect Donald Trump.
The political crisis in France is weakening the European Union, which was already under pressure after the collapse of the coalition government in Germany. The situation is getting worse as President-elect Donald Trump prepares to return to the White House.
France's new prime minister will face the same challenge as his predecessor: passing the 2025 budget in a deeply divided parliament while restoring depleted public finances.
Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right National Rally (RN) party, criticized Macron: "The main culprit of the current situation is Emmanuel Macron," she said on TF1 radio on Wednesday evening.
A Toluna Harris Interactive poll found that 64% of voters want Mr Macron to resign. However, the French constitution only allows the president to be removed if two-thirds of lawmakers conclude he has failed to perform his role, something that has never happened before.
The political crisis is destabilizing French financial markets, weighing on bonds and stocks. Although markets recovered somewhat on December 5 as investors took profits after the no-confidence vote, the lingering uncertainty is expected to continue to weigh.
According to Standard & Poor's assessment, the collapse of the French government makes the prospect of reducing the budget deficit dim, and the ability to implement "belt-tightening" measures will be lower than before.
In this context, political instability could last at least until July 2025, when new parliamentary elections are allowed to be held.
Cao Phong (according to Reuters, Le Monde)
Source: https://www.congluan.vn/tong-thong-macron-lan-thu-sau-di-tim-thu-tuong-moi-cho-nuoc-phap-post324353.html
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