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Agence France-Presse

French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday will seek ways out of France’s political crisis, after Michel Barnier became the first prime minister to be ousted by parliament in over six decades.
Lawmakers voted on Wednesday to oust Barnier’s government after just three months in office, approving a no-confidence motion proposed by the hard left but which crucially was backed by the far-right headed by Marine Le Pen.
Barnier’s record-quick ejection comes after snap parliamentary elections this summer, which resulted in a hung parliament with no party having an overall majority and the far-right holding the key to the government’s survival.
Macron now has the unenviable task of picking a viable successor with over two years of his presidential term left, with some – though not all – opponents calling on him to resign.

Barnier on Thursday met Macron to submit his resignation after losing a vote of no confidence in parliament, with the president urgently seeking ways to halt growing political and financial chaos.
Poised to be contemporary France’s shortest-serving premier, Barnier arrived at the Elysee Palace just after 0900 GMT for the resignation formality, with the outgoing premier and government constitutionally obliged to step down after the defeat in parliament.
Barnier will remain in office on a caretaker basis with his ministers until a new government is named, the presidency said.
The president will then address the nation at 1900 GMT, the Elysee said.
The no-confidence motion, brought by the hard left in the National Assembly, came amid a stand-off over next year’s austerity budget, after the prime minister on Monday forced through a social security financing bill without a vote.
With the support of the far-right, a majority of 331 MPs in the 577-member chamber voted to oust the government.
It was the first successful no-confidence vote since a defeat for Georges Pompidou’s government in 1962, when Charles de Gaulle was president.
Macron flew back into Paris just ahead of the vote after wrapping up a three-day state visit to Saudi Arabia, an apparent world away from the domestic crisis.
He strolled earlier Wednesday through the desert sands of the Al-Ula oasis, marvelling at ancient landmarks. After landing in Paris, he headed directly to the Elysee Palace.

“We are now calling on Macron to go,” Mathilde Panot, 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 government’s fall, 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”.
Candidates for the post of premier are few, but loyalist Defence Minister Sébastien Lecornu and Macron’s centrist ally Francois Bayrou are possible contenders.
On the left, Macron could turn to former Socialist premier and interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve, a contender in September.
Barnier was the fifth prime minister to serve under Macron since he came to power in 2017, with every premier serving a successively shorter period.
Given the turbulence, the new nominee now risks serving an even shorter term than Barnier, whose tenure was the shortest of any administration since the Fifth Republic began in 1958.
Macron is minded to appoint the new premier rapidly, several sources told AFP.
A source close to Macron said the president, who has taken time with appointments in the past, has “no choice” but to name the new premier within 24 hours.
Macron has rejected calls to resign.
With markets nervous and France bracing for public-sector strikes against the threat of cutbacks, action 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.

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.
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.


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France

Macron seeks remedy to France’s political crisis

A protester holds a placard reading “Macron, you stink, get out” during a rally in Marseille. Photo: AFP

French President Emmanuel Macron (right) and Prime Minister Michel Barnier. Photo: AP

French President Emmanuel Macron looks on during a visit to the archaeological site of al-Hijr (Hegra), near the northwestern Saudi city of AlUla. Photo: AFP

People walk past the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris. Photo: Xinhua

French government toppled in no-confidence vote, deepening political crisis

French Prime Minister Michel Barnier removes his glasses after giving a speech during a debate on two motions of no-confidence against the French government in Paris on Wednesday. Photo: Reuters

The French National Assembly in Paris on Wednesday. Photo: AFP

Far-right leader Marine Le Pen on Wednesday. Photo: AFP

French President Emmanuel Macron in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday. Photo: AFP

Michel Barnier goes down as shortest-serving prime minister in French history

France’s Prime Minister Michel Barnier. Photo: AFP

French Prime Minister Michel Barnier on Wednesday. Photo: Reuters

France’s Prime Minister Michel Barnier and President Emmanuel Macron in November. File photo: AFP

French lawmakers to vote Wednesday on toppling the government

French Prime Minister Michel Barnier on Monday. Photo: Reuters

National Rally (RN) leader Marine Le Pen on Monday. Photo: AFP

France’s President Emmanuel Macron (right) and France’s Prime Minister Michel Barnier. File photo: AFP

French Prime Minister Michel Barnier, delivering a speech in parliament on Monday. Photo: EPA-EFE

Notre Dame to reopen with high security, star-studded celebration in Paris

The cathedral was badly damaged by fire in April 2019 and has since been restored. Photo: AFP

The steeple and spire engulfed in flames in 2019, and a few days before its reopening (right). Photo: AFP

The medieval cathedral. Photo: AFP

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World

Europe

The no-confidence vote came in a stand-off over next year’s austerity budget, after Barnier forced through a social security financing bill


The no-confidence vote came in a stand-off over next year’s austerity budget, after Barnier forced through a social security financing bill.


Emmanuel Macron