French government collapses as parliament votes to oust prime minister Michel Barnier

by · TheJournal.ie

LAST UPDATE | 2 hrs ago

FRENCH LAWMAKERS HAVE voted to oust the government of Prime Minister Michel Barnier after just three months in office in a move which deepens a political crisis in the country.

For the first time in over 60 years, the National Assembly approved a no-confidence motion against the incumbent government that had been proposed by the hard-left but which crucially was backed by the far-right, headed by Marine Le Pen.

The move presents President Emmanuel Macron with an unenviable dilemma over how to move forward and who to appoint in his place, with over two years of his presidential term left.

He is to address the nation tomorrow night, the Elysee Palace said, without giving any details on when a new prime minister could be appointed.

The National Assembly lower house debated two motions brought by the hard-left and the far-right in a standoff over next year’s austerity budget, after the prime minister forced through the social security budget without a vote on Monday.

“The worst policy would be not to block such a budget,” three-time presidential candidate Le Pen said during the parliamentary debate, urging lawmakers to vote out the government of Macron and its “technocratic” choices.

With the support of the far-right, a majority of 331 MPs in the 577-member chamber voted to oust the government.

Speaker Yael Braun-Pivet confirmed Barnier would now have to “submit his resignation” to Macron and declared the session closed.

The vote is the first successful no-confidence vote since a defeat for Georges Pompidou’s government in 1962, when Charles de Gaulle was president.

The lifespan of Barnier’s government is also the shortest of any administration of France’s Fifth Republic which began in 1958.

Macron flew back into Paris just ahead of the vote after wrapping up his three-day state visit to Saudi Arabia, an apparent world away from the domestic crisis.

French Prime Minister Michel Barnier during the debate prior to the no-confidence votes on his administration at the National Assembly in Paris. Alamy Stock PhotoAlamy Stock Photo

“We are now calling on Macron to go,” Mathilde Panot, the head of the parliamentary faction of the hard-left France Unbowed (LFI) party told reporters, urging “early presidential elections” to solve the deepening political crisis.

But taking care not to crow over the fall of the government, Le Pen said in a television interview that her party – once a new premier is appointed – “would let them work” and help create a “budget that is acceptable for everyone”.

Laurent Wauquiez, the head of right-wing deputies in parliament, said the far-right and hard-left bore the responsibility for a no-confidence vote that will “plunge the country into instability”.

Asked on French television earlier if there was a chance his government could survive today’s vote, Barnier replied: “I want this and it is possible. It depends on the MPs.

“I think it is possible that there is this reflex of responsibility where – beyond political differences, divergences, the normal contradictions in a democracy – we tell ourselves that there is a higher interest.”

‘Political fiction’

The turmoil follows snap elections called by Macron in the summer which aimed, without success, to halt the march of the far right, and left no party or faction in parliament with a majority.

Barnier took office with the far-right under Le Pen holding a sword of Damocles over its head, with the ability to topple the administration.

No new elections can be called for a year after the previous legislative polls, narrowing Macron’s options. Some have even suggested the president, who is on a state visit to Saudi Arabia, could resign.

Advertisement

But Macron rejected calls to resign to break the political impasse, saying such a scenario amounted to “political fiction”.

“It doesn’t make sense… it’s frankly not up to scratch to say these things,” Macron told reporters on the sidelines of the visit to Saudi Arabia.

“It so happens that if I am before you, it is because I was elected twice by the French people. I am extremely proud of this and I will honour this trust with all the energy that is mine until the last second to be useful to the country,” added Macron, who is due to serve until 2027.

President of French far-right party National Rally Marine Le Pen during the debate prior to the no-confidence votes on Barnier's administration. Alamy Stock PhotoAlamy Stock Photo

Several prominent opposition figures and even some voices closer to the presidential faction have suggested resignation could be Macron’s only viable option.

Eric Coquerel, a hard-left MP, said the motion against Barnier sounded the “death knell of Emmanuel Macron’s mandate”.

‘Unbearable cynicism’

On Tuesday, Macron accused Le Pen’s far-right of “unbearable cynicism” in backing the motion.

“We must not scare people with these things, we have a strong economy,” he added.

Candidates for the hot seat as premier are few and far between, with loyalist Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu and Macron’s centrist ally Francois Bayrou possible contenders.

On the left, Macron could turn to former Socialist premier and interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve, a contender in September.

Macron is minded to appoint the new premier rapidly, several sources told AFP.

With markets nervous and France bracing for public-sector strikes over the threat of cutbacks that will shut schools and hit air and rail traffic, there is a growing sense of crisis.

The unions have called for civil servants, including teachers and air traffic controllers, to strike on Thursday over separate cost-cutting measures proposed by their respective ministries this autumn.

Meanwhile, Macron is due to host a major international event on Saturday with the reopening of the Notre-Dame cathedral after the 2019 fire, with guests including Donald Trump on his first foreign trip since he was elected to be the next US president.

“His failure,” was left-wing daily Liberation’s front-page headline, with a picture of Macron, whose term runs until 2027.

‘Shattered strategy’

But in an editorial, Le Monde said Le Pen’s move risked upsetting her own supporters, such as retirees and business leaders, by toppling the government.

“In the space of a few minutes, she shattered the strategy of normalisation she had consistently pursued,” the daily said.

Some observers have suggested that Le Pen (56) is playing a high-risk game and seeking to bring down Macron before his term ends by ousting Barnier.

Le Pen is embroiled in a high-profile embezzlement trial. If found guilty in March, she could be blocked from participating in France’s next presidential election, scheduled for 2027.

She has insisted, however, that the party’s hardline stance was entirely due to a budget that would make the French poorer.

By following the “catastrophic continuity of Emmanuel Macron” the prime minister “could only fail”, she wrote on social media.

© AFP 2024