French President Emmanuel Macron is in a tense situation – politicians are demanding that he hold a snap election or resign to end the political chaos that has forced five prime ministers to leave office in two years, the Reuters writes.
Meanwhile, Macron insists that he will stay in office until the end of his term in 2027. But now the calls for his resignation, long heard only in the corners of the political scene, have become louder, and France has found itself in one of the most serious political crises since the creation of the current system of government in 1958. On the 7th of October, as outgoing Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu, who had been in office for just 26 days, held final talks to form a cabinet, Macron’s first Prime Minister Edouard Philippe announced that it was time to elect a new president. Philippe said it was time for Macron to go in an orderly manner so that the country could find a way out of the crisis.
As US President Donald Trump demands that Europe increase its defense budget and aid Ukraine, the political turmoil in the eurozone’s second-largest economy (and the bloc’s third-largest external debt) has been making headlines for some time. The impact is also being felt in international markets, with investors watching to see how France will manage to reduce its growing budget deficit. French stocks fell 1.4% on the 6th of October.
Brigitte Gries, a 70-year-old pensioner, said it was a mess that made her sad. A taxi driver in Montpellier said
France had become a laughing stock for the world.
Philippe, seen as the best candidate to end the political problems, is the second prime minister under Macron to distance himself from the president. Another Macron loyalist, Gabriel Attal, was harsh. He served as prime minister for a few months before Macron called snap elections in the summer of 2024. Attal said: “Like many other French people, I no longer understand the president’s decisions.” The politician spoke after Macron asked Le Corneille, who had resigned, to go ahead and try to form a cabinet again.
Another former Macron prime minister, Elisabeth Borne, said in an interview published in Le Parisien on the 7th of October that she was ready to postpone the pension reform she pushed through parliament. Left-wing forces have demanded that the 2023 bill be scrapped.
Le Corneille was given two days to reach a compromise. He began talks with centrists and conservatives, reaching an agreement that passing next year’s budget is a priority. Of course, he also needs help from others, including the Socialists, to form a parliamentary majority. Le Corneille had planned talks with the opposition on the morning of the 8th of October, but far-right forces have said they see no point in them and will not participate. Marine Le Pen has reiterated her call to dissolve the National Assembly. Although the right-wing is currently leading in the polls, in a snap election, no political party would likely win enough votes to form a majority in parliament.
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