PARIS – French President Emmanuel Macron came out fighting Thursday in his first comments following the resignation of ousted Prime Minister Michel Barnier, a day after a historic no-confidence vote at the National Assembly left France without a functioning government.
Macron said he will serve as president “until the end” of his five-year term scheduled in 2027. He also said he would name a new prime minister within days, but gave no hints who that might be.
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Macron laid blame at the door of his opponents on the far right for bringing down the government of Michel Barnier. He said they chose “Not to do but to undo.” “They chose disorder,” he said. The president said the far right and the far left had united in what he called “an anti-Republican front” and stressed: “I won’t shoulder other people’s irresponsibility.”
The National Assembly ousted Barnier by 331 votes, making him the shortest-serving prime minister in modern French history. Macron faces pressure to quickly name a new leader capable of navigating a fractured parliament, where no party holds a majority.
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Macron warns that France cannot afford stasis
Macron noted that France’s constitution prevents a new round of legislative elections so soon after the last ones, meaning the country is stuck with the current National Assembly until next July at the earliest. That reality means lawmakers have a duty “to work together, at the service of France and the French.”
“The world, Europe, are moving ahead, and we need a government that can take decisions,” Macron said.
“We cannot allow ourselves neither division nor immobility. That is why I will name a prime minister in the coming days.”
French president acknowledges his own role in chaos now shaking France
While critical of his political opponents, Macron also acknowledged his own role in the chaos now shaking French politics and alarming financial markets. He revisited his decision in June to dissolve parliament. That precipitated the crisis, leading to new legislative elections that produced the now hung parliament, divided between three minority blocs that don’t have enough seats to govern alone and are proving largely incapable of working together – except to bring down Barnier.
“I do recognize that this decision wasn’t understood. Many people criticized me for it. I know many continue to criticize me for it. It’s a fact. And it’s my responsibility.”
Macron tears into lawmakers who backed the no-confidence vote
Macron tore into lawmakers who backed the no-confidence vote that forced Barnier’s resignation, accusing them of pursuing their own political interests. He noted that the vote came with the end of year holidays just around the corner.
“Why did lawmakers act this way? They’re not thinking of you, of your lives, your difficulties,” he said. “They’re thinking of just one thing: the presidential election – to prepare it, to provoke it, to precipitate it.”
But Macron said he’d see out the 30 months still left in his second and last term as president.
Macron lays blame on political opponents for bringing down the government of Michel Barnier
In his address, Macron came out fighting, laying blame at the door of his opponents on the far right for bringing down the government of Michel Barnier. He said they chose “Not to do but to undo.” “They chose disorder,” he said.
The president said the far right and the far left had united in what he called “an anti-Republican front” and stressed: “I won’t shoulder other people’s irresponsibility.”
He said he’d name a new prime minister within days but gave no hints who that might be.
Macron vows to stay in office
Macron, in his address Thursday, vowed to stay in office until his term expires in 2027.
Macron still holds extensive powers for France on the international stage despite weakened powers at home
French President Emmanuel Macron faces the challenge to pick a prime minister capable of leading a minority government in a parliament where no party holds a majority.
The prime minister is accountable to the parliament, leads the government and introduces bills – to the risk of being ousted via a no-confidence motion.
Macron previously ruled out choosing the nominee of the left-wing coalition, the New Popular Front, because it includes the hard-left France Unbowed party. French media have reported a shortlist of centrist candidates who might appeal to both sides of the political spectrum.
With no majority in parliament, the president is weakened at home, but still holds some extensive powers over foreign policy, European affairs and defense and is in charge of negotiating and ratifying international treaties. The president is also the commander-in-chief of the country’s armed forces and holds the nuclear codes.
French President Emmanuel Macron was elected in 2017, before being reelected in 2022 for a five-year term.
Teachers' protests take new tone linking demands to the political crisis
A planned protest by teachers against education budget cuts took on a new tone Thursday, as demonstrators in Paris linked their demands to the political crisis sparked by the collapse of Barnier.
“Macron démission!” (“Quit Macron!”) read a sign held by Dylan Quenon, 28, a PE teacher at a middle school in Aubervilliers, just north of Paris. Quenon said President Emmanuel Macron bears responsibility for what he described as the dismantling of public services.
“He is the one responsible for our dismay, after all he is the one in charge,” Quenon said. “The only way for this to change is to have him out of office.”
Quenon cited examples of budget constraints in his school, where teachers are limited in making photocopies to save paper and wait months for basic sports equipment like pinnies and balls.
The protest, which drew thousands of people, featured chants targeting Macron, Barnier, and their now-defunct budget bill. Demonstrators sang: “Macron, Barnier et leur budget, et hop tout ça à la poubelle” (“Macron, Barnier, and their budget, throw it all in the trash”).
Protesters also expressed little optimism that Macron’s next appointee would reverse course.
“I’m glad this government is falling, but it could possibly lead to something even worse,” said Élise De La Gorce, a 33-year-old philosophy teacher in Stains, north of Paris. “Given the way the previous government was appointed, I don’t have an ounce of hope that Macron could make the right choice for me.”
What will happen to the French government’s budget?
France is at no risk of a government shutdown that in the United States would disrupt many services and squeeze federal employees.
An outgoing government could present a special law to levy taxes from Jan. 1, based on this year’s rules. It would also be able to decide on renewing spending by decree in order to pay civil servants, pensions and other key government expenses.
However, this would suspend any potential tax hike — like one initially expected on big companies — and freeze any new spending.
In particular, an additional 3.3 billion euro ($3.5 billion) package for the French military was planned as the country supports Ukraine in its war against Russia.
Later, a new government could present its own budget proposals at parliament.
There’s pressure on Macron to appoint a new PM swiftly
Macron faces the critical task of naming a replacement capable of leading a minority government in a parliament where no party holds a majority. Yaël Braun-Pivet, president of the National Assembly and a member of Macron’s party, urged the president to move quickly.
“I recommend he decide rapidly on a new prime minister,” Braun-Pivet said Thursday on France Inter radio. “There must not be any political hesitation. We need a leader who can speak to everyone and work to pass a new budget bill.”
The process may prove challenging. Macron’s administration has yet to confirm any names, though French media have reported a shortlist of centrist candidates who might appeal to both sides of the political spectrum.
Why is the National Assembly so volatile?
Following the June-July parliamentary elections, the National Assembly, France’s powerful lower house of parliament, is divided into three major blocs: a left-wing coalition known as the New Popular Front, Macron’s centrist allies, and the far-right National Rally party. None won an outright majority.
In September, Macron asked Barnier, a conservative, to form a government dominated by Republicans and centrists — implicitly relying on the far right’s goodwill to be able to stay in power.
However, in the days before his ousting, far-right leader Marine Le Pen accused Barnier of ignoring her demands and the left-wing coalition denounced an “austerity budget” and criticized “the absence of dialogue and disregard for parliamentary work.”
What did Barnier say after being voted out?
“I can tell you that it will remain an honor for me to have served France and the French with dignity,” Barnier said in his final speech before the vote.
“This no-confidence motion … will make everything more serious and more difficult. That’s what I’m sure of,” he said.
How was Barnier ousted?
France’s far-right and left-wing lawmakers joined together Wednesday in a historic no-confidence vote prompted by budget disputes. It was the first successful no-confidence vote since 1962.
The National Assembly, the lower house of France’s parliament, approved the motion by 331 votes. A minimum of 288 were needed.
Who is Michel Barnier, the ousted former prime minister?
Barnier, 73, was the oldest of the 26 prime ministers who have served modern France’s Fifth Republic. He replaced the youngest, Gabriel Attal, who was 34 when he was appointed.
He is a career politician with humble roots in France’s Alpine region of Haute-Savoie. He was the European Union’s chief negotiator in the difficult talks with Britain over its departure from the bloc.
He also has the shortest tenure of any prime minister.
When will Macron speak?
French President Emmanuel Macron’s speech is scheduled to address the nation in less than an hour and a half. He is expected to address France’s economic challenges while setting a course for the future government.