By Nur Asena Erturk
ANKARA (AA) – The French president said on Thursday that he would appoint a new prime minister "in the coming days" after the parliament voted to oust Michel Barnier and his government through no-confidence.
Emmanuel Macron earlier in the day accepted Barnier’s resignation after he had only been in office for three months.
The now-outgoing prime minister lost the trust of the National Assembly, or lower chamber of the French parliament on Wednesday when the majority of lawmakers voted in favor of a no-confidence motion. It came two days after he used his discretionary powers to pass the much-debated social security budget bill without voting in parliament.
Amid rumors that he wants to name a new prime minister quickly, Macron made a live address to the nation on Thursday evening, saying he would "name a new prime minister in the coming days," who will be tasked to form a government of "general interest."
The premier and government’s priority will be the “budget,” Macron said, adding that a “special law would be proposed in parliament before mid-December,” a temporary law that would ensure the continuity of public services.
This new government “would prepare a new budget at the beginning of the year,” the president explained.
Macron said there could be no new parliamentary elections in 10 months as per the constitution following the previous snap elections, which means July 2025.
Calling on all country actors to work for France's progress, he said that given his five-year presidential term, he would serve until 2027, which means he will only be in office for 30 more months.
- Political parties chose ‘chaos’
The president also slammed political parties for deposing Barnier, particularly the far-left party France Unbowed (LFI), which moved the no-confidence motion in the National Assembly, and the far-right National Rally (RN) that backed it.
“The far-right and far-left formed an anti-Republican front… he said. I would never accept responsibility for the actions of others, particularly those lawmakers who deliberately chose to topple France’s budget and government just days before the Christmas holiday.”
Macron criticized RN lawmakers for choosing “disorder” as a unifying “project” with the far left.
Those parties are not concerned with the French, but rather with "one thing only: the presidential election, to prepare it, to provoke it, to speed it up," he alleged.
According to an unnamed former minister who previously spoke to broadcaster BFMTV, Macron was hoping to have a new government in place by the time US President-elect Donald Trump pays a visit to Paris on Saturday for the re-opening of the Notre Dame cathedral. It added that this was a matter of credibility for the French leader.
The 850-year-old building, which sustained significant damage in a 2019 fire, is set to reopen following extensive renovations.
This will be Trump's first international trip since being reelected in November.
Following the Barnier government's collapse, several names echoed in Parisian corridors, with Macron reportedly seeking to appoint a new premier within 24 hours.
Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu and Mayor Francois Bayrou were among the rumored candidates.
- Political instability haunts since June
The country has been in political upheaval since June when Macron's centrist bloc failed and the far-right RN won the European Parliament elections.
In response, Macron called for two rounds of snap parliamentary elections on June 30 and July 7, but no party won 289 seats, a threshold to achieve an absolute majority in the National Assembly.
The left-wing alliance New Popular Front (NFP) won the most votes and seats in parliament in the second round and later insisted that the prime minister must be from the alliance, but failed to nominate a consensus candidate for the position immediately.
After weeks of internal divisions, the NFP nominated Lucie Castets for prime minister on July 23.
However, President Macron rejected a left-wing candidate and said he would not appoint a premier until mid-August after the Paris Olympics.
He faced criticism for delaying the process, fueling further instability after he accepted then-Premier Gabriel Attal's resignation on July 16 after initially rejecting it on July 8.
On Sept. 5, Macron finally appointed Barnier, a center-right politician, former European commissioner, and former foreign minister, as the prime minister.
Barnier's government was the first one to collapse with a no-confidence vote since 1962.