“INSTABILITY IS VULNERABILITY”
Limiting any impression of political chaos is all the more important for Macron given that on Saturday he will host world leaders – including US President-elect Donald Trump – for the reopening of the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris after a devastating 2019 fire.
National Assembly speaker Yael Braun-Pivet, a member of the president’s centrist faction, urged Macron to quickly choose a new premier, saying France could not be allowed to “drift” for long.
In an unusual move, Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, France’s top diplomat for just two-and-a-half months, urged unity in a message on social media, saying “instability is vulnerability” at a time of international uncertainty.
A majority of lawmakers on Wednesday supported the no-confidence vote proposed by the hard left and backed by the far right headed by Marine Le Pen.
Barnier’s ejection in record time came after snap parliamentary elections in June resulted in a hung parliament. No political force was able to form an overall majority and the far right held the key to the government’s survival.
The trigger for Barnier’s ouster was his 2025 budget plan, including austerity measures unacceptable to a majority in parliament, but which he argued were necessary to stabilise France’s finances.
On Monday he forced through a social security financing bill without a vote, but the ousting of the government means France is still without a budget.
