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French President Emmanuel Macron said Thursday he would name a new prime minister “in the coming days,” after the National Assembly forced the resignation of Prime Minister Michel Barnier, and he rejected calls from opposition lawmakers to step down himself to facilitate an end to France’s political gridlock.
The far-right and leftist blocs in the National Assembly united Wednesday to oust Barnier in a no-confidence vote, making his three-month government the shortest in modern French history. Macron said the opposition parties had formed an “anti-Republican front” that “chose chaos” for their own political gains, adding, “I won’t shoulder other people’s irresponsibility.” He insisted he would finish out his five-year term, which ends in 2027, and defended his decision to call July snap elections that led to his center-right block falling into the minority alongside two other mutually antagonistic blocs.
This “political instability in France – and in Germany”, where Chancellor Olaf Scholz is “limping towards a vote of confidence later this month” after the collapse of his coalition in November – means that “caretaker governments will now control two of the largest countries”. powers on the continent”. difficult economies,” NPR said. This “could have broad consequences for European security” and “transatlantic relations”.
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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site’s launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.