France is sailing in uncharted waters, after the overthrow of the Barnier government by far-right Marine Le Pen and the left-wing coalition.
The motion of censure filed by the opposition against the Barnier government was voted out yesterday at the meeting of the French National Assembly.
A total of 331 MPs voted in favor of the censure motion tabled by the left-wing NFP alliance, while 88 votes were needed to pass as two seats are vacant out of a total of 577 seats.
It is the first time a French government has fallen due to a motion of impeachment since 1962.
Now, President Macron's speech is expected at 21:00, while the Élysée did not give details on when a new prime minister could be appointed. According to sources, the French president would like to have settled on a name by Saturday, while a key demand for the new government is the 2025 budget, which should be ready before the end of 2024.
According to Le Monde, Barnier will submit his resignation on Thursday morning, while Emmanuel Macron will address the French in the evening.
Before yesterday's vote, the representatives of the parties of the left as well as of the far-right party of Marine Le Pen stood in favor of the censure of the government. The representatives of the parties of the so-called presidential majority that support Emmanuel Macron as well as the Republican party were opposed.
In an atmosphere of tension, with constant disapproval, the representatives of the coalition parties spoke of an unholy alliance of the extreme right with the parties of the left. On the other side, opposition representatives argued that the fall of the Barnier government was inevitable.
In dramatic tones, Michel Barnier, during his speech, said that "the time for truth and responsibility has arrived" while he rang a "bell" about France's public debt, saying that the country pays 60 billion every year. euros in interest, which is more than what it spends on defense and education combined.
Barnier ready to resign -Diaggelma Macron at 21:00
Barnier is forced to submit his and the government's resignation to President Emmanuel Macron, who is in Paris after a three-day official visit to Saudi Arabia.
The French president plans to announce within the next 24 hours the replacement of Michel Barnier, who will be France's fourth prime minister in a row this year.
After the collapse of the Barnier government, Emmanuel Macron will address the French people at 9 pm (Greece time).
After the result of yesterday's vote in the French national assembly, the head of the far-right National Alarm parliamentary group Marine Le Pen called on the French president to take his responsibilities, without however clearly calling for his resignation. He even said he intends to let the new prime minister work to come up with a state budget acceptable to all.
What does the French Constitution provide?
Under the French constitution, only Emmanuel Macron can appoint the prime minister to succeed Michel Barnier in the event of his ouster as new parliamentary elections cannot be held before July. According to the French Constitution, the National Assembly must remain in operation for at least one year.
There is a possibility that Barnier will remain as caretaker prime minister while President Macron chooses his successor. There is a chance that Macron would appoint an unelected government of technocrats, which would probably not last long.
The leader of the Left demanded Macron's resignation
For his part, the head of the left-wing French Insubordinate party, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, called for the resignation of Emmanuel Macron, saying that "even if he appoints a Michel Barnier as prime minister every three months, he will not be able to stay in the presidency of the Republic for the next three years".
The Secretary of the Socialist party, Olivier Faure, did not raise the issue of the resignation of the president of the Republic and called on Macron to listen to the French and appoint a prime minister from the left.
"Macron does not want to appear without a government in front of Trump"
The television network BFMTV broadcast yesterday the statements of a former minister who estimated that Emmanuel Macron "wants to be present at the motion of censure and to appoint a prime minister within 24 hours".
"The head of state does not want to appear without a government in front of Donald Trump this weekend," says another source close to the president.
Macron hopes to have someone in the prime minister post as soon as possible on Saturday, when more than fifty invited heads of state and government, including US President-elect Donald Trump, will be in Paris for the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral of Paris.
What is planned for the Budget?
For the major problem of approving France's state budget for 2025, the possible scenarios are as follows:
That a new government be formed which will approve the Budget with summary procedures or after a decision of the French National Assembly, that no new Budget be drawn up - until further notice - and that the state continue to operate with the "ceiling" of revenues and expenses those of 2024.
After all, Mr. Macron had said yesterday that "this reality remains, it will not disappear by magic through the motions of censure".
Former Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire's original forecast called for a deficit of 4,4%, but this is expected to exceed 6%.
In the mind of Macron - Barnier's possible successor
While Emmanuel Macron has yet to decide who will replace Barnier, his shortlist includes leftist Bernard Cazeneuve, former minister Xavier Bertrand, Armed Forces Minister Sébastien Lecorny, veteran centrist MoDem leader Francois Bayroux, and former prime minister under Macron, Jean Castex.
Source: iefimerida.gr
