French President Emmanuel Macron met with parliamentary and senate leaders ahead of his address to the nation on Thursday night, as pressure mounts to quickly appoint a new prime minister following the historic collapse of France's government.
Right-wing Prime Minister Michel Barnier met with Macron for just over an hour to tender his resignation, a day after Macron's minority ruling coalition collapsed after just three no-confidence votes for the first time in more than 60 years. Several months have passed since taking office.
As of Thursday morning, Barnier's resignation had not yet been officially confirmed as France entered a period of political turmoil.
Macron has asked close ally François Bayrou, a veteran centrist politician, to replace Mr Barnier amid speculation as to who could take on the difficult task of leading a minority government in a deeply divided parliament. I had lunch with him.
According to the Elysée Palace, Macron is scheduled to address the nation in a televised address starting Thursday at 8 p.m.
Yaël Braun Pivé, president of the National Assembly and a member of Mr Macron's centrist party, met with Mr Macron on Thursday and urged him to act quickly.
“There should be no political hesitation,” Braunpivet told Interradio France. He said a new prime minister needed to be appointed quickly. “We need a leader who can talk to everyone and work to pass a new budget.”
In his final speech, Barnier said a motion of no confidence in the government would “make everything more serious and difficult.”
Mr Barnier's forced resignation followed a snap election this summer, which resulted in a hung parliament in which no party had an overall majority and far-right factions held the key to the survival of the government.
Macron's term ends in spring 2027. Some, but not all, opponents have called for his resignation. He ignored all talk of resignation. Parliament remains divided, as new parliamentary elections cannot be held until at least July.
The no-confidence motion submitted by a left-wing coalition in the Diet comes amid a standoff over next year's budget after the prime minister forced the social security finance bill through without a vote on Monday.
With decisive support from Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally, a majority of 331 members of the 577-member House of Representatives voted to overthrow the government.
“We have a choice, and our choice is to protect the French people from a 'harmful' budget,” National Rally leader Marine Le Pen told TF1 television after the vote. Le Pen also accused Macron of being “largely responsible for the current situation”, adding: “The pressure on the president of the republic will only intensify.”
It was the first successful no-confidence vote since Georges Pompidou's government was defeated in 1962 under Charles de Gaulle.
Mathilde Panault, leader of the far-left party France Indomitable (LFI), told reporters: “We are now calling on Mr. Macron to step down,'' adding that “quick action must be taken to resolve the deepening political crisis.'' campaign for the presidential election.
Le Pen was careful not to scream at the collapse of her government, but said on TV that once a new prime minister was appointed, her party would “let them do their job” and help create a “budget that is acceptable to everyone.” said in an interview.
In an editorial, Le Monde said Le Pen risked upsetting her supporters, including retirees and business leaders, by overthrowing the government. “Within minutes, she destroyed the normalization strategy she had consistently pursued,” the newspaper reported.
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Laurent Wauquiès, head of parliament's right-wing caucus, said the far right and far left were responsible for the no-confidence motion, which “destabilized the country”.
There are few candidates for the prime minister's post, but conservative Defense Minister Sébastien Lecorne and Mr Macron's centrist ally François Bayrou are the leading candidates.
On the left, Macron may turn to former Socialist Prime Minister and Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve, who is his candidate in the September election campaign.
Mr Barnier is the fifth prime minister since Mr Macron took power in 2017, each of whose terms have been cut short one after the other. Given the turmoil, there is a risk that a new candidate will have an even shorter term in office than Mr. Barnier, whose tenure was the shortest since the founding of the Fifth Republic in 1958.
Sources told AFP that President Macron could quickly appoint a new prime minister. A source close to Macron said the president, who has traditionally taken time to make appointments, had “no choice” but to make appointments within 24 hours.
President Macron rejected calls to resign.
Markets are nervous and there is a sense of crisis as France braces for a public sector strike over threats of job cuts with school closures and impacts on air and rail traffic. Unions called on public servants, including teachers and air traffic controllers, to strike on Thursday over another cost-cutting measure.
“His Failure” was the front page headline in the left-wing daily Libération, which featured a photo of Macron, whose term ends in 2027.
Meanwhile, the president is scheduled to host a major international event on Saturday to mark the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral after its 2019 fire, with guests expected to include Donald Trump, his first overseas trip since re-election. is.
Agence France-Presse and Associated Press contributed to this report
