OAN Staff James Myers
10:16am – Friday, December 6, 2024
Embattled French President Emmanuel Macron said in a fiery televised address on Thursday that he hoped to appoint a new prime minister within days.
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Mr Macron spoke a day after Prime Minister Michael Barnier was sacked by parliamentarians in a vote of no confidence.
The president resisted calls for his resignation and instead sought to shift the blame to the left and right, which had united to overthrow Barnier's government.
However, Mr. Macron had harsh words for the far-right National Rally. National Rally leader Marine Le Pen has vowed to stand up to Macron and undermine his policies.
“The far right and the far left have united in an anti-republican front,” Macron said of Wednesday's vote against Barnier, which has thrown French politics into turmoil and jeopardized attempts to pass a contentious budget.
Meanwhile, after the president accepted his resignation on Thursday, Macron's office announced that Barnier would remain president in an interim capacity until a new government is appointed.
“To be honest, they only care about one thing, and that is the presidential election,” Macron said of Le Pen's party, claiming their “cynical” approach had brought a “sense of chaos” to the country. did.
“They insulted their own voters and simply chose anarchy,” he added.
“From today, [a] Addressing the French people, President Macron said the National Assembly has a duty to “carry out what it was elected to do” and act “on behalf of the French people”.
But there is little evidence that the new era will be smoother than the last for Mr. Macron. Whoever he chooses to be prime minister will need approval from a divided parliament, where he faces opposition from both sides.
Macron is halfway through his final term as president, but the results of a snap election in June have greatly complicated the final stages of his government and diminished his authority at home and abroad. There is.
Furthermore, the current parliament must sit until June, one year after the last vote, making further snap elections impossible.
Mr Macron, who tried to appease both sides of parliament by electing Mr Barnier in September, may aim to gain even more support next.
But the leader of the National Assembly told French networks on Thursday that it reaffirmed its opposition to any efforts to freeze parts of parliament. C News: “We have not changed our mind. We are against a left-wing prime minister.”
Meanwhile, the budget must be passed by December 21st.centdeadline. According to credit rating agency S&P Global Ratings, even if this deadline is not met, the government may enact a fiscal continuity law, which would allow the government to collect taxes and pay salaries. Limiting spending to 2024 levels would avoid a fiscal shutdown. .
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