France’s parliament was expected to oust French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou after press time last night, plunging the key EU member into new political uncertainty and creating a painful dilemma for French President Emmanuel Macron.
Bayrou blindsided even his allies by calling a confidence vote to end a months-long standoff over his austerity budget, which foresees almost 44 billion euros (US$52 billion) of cost savings to reduce France’s debt pile.
Opposition parties across the board have made it clear they would vote against his minority government, making it highly improbable he would get enough backing to survive — he needs a majority of the 577 MPs in the National Assembly.
Photo: Reuters
Bayrou would become the second French prime minister in succession to have been dealt such a fate, after former French prime minister Michel Barnier was ejected in December last year after only three months in office.
Bayrou, the sixth prime minister under Macron since 2017, has given no indication in days of interviews that he expects to survive the vote.
Instead, he has asked: “Has our country understood the seriousness of the situation it finds itself in?”
He was expected to address parliament in a final bid for support before the evening vote.
Afterward, Macron would face one of the most critical decisions of his presidency: Appointing the seventh prime minister of his mandate to thrash out a compromise, or call snap elections in a bid to have a more accommodating parliament.
The president is spearheading European efforts to end Russia’s war on Ukraine, but polling at home does not make for pretty reading.
According to a poll by Odoxa-Backbone for Le Figaro newspaper, 64 percent of French want Macron to resign rather than name a new prime minister, a move he has explicitly ruled out.
Addressing the crisis after an international summit on Ukraine, Macron on Thursday called on French political forces to demonstrate “responsibility” and ensure “stability.”
“The reshaping of the world is changing many things for our Europe. In this context, France must continue to move forward,” he said.
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