Macron vows to appoint new PM 'in coming days' after no confidence vote sees French government collapse
5 December 2024, 19:31 | Updated: 5 December 2024, 19:44
French President Emmanuel Macron said he will appoint a new prime minister in the coming days in a combative address following the collapse of the French government.
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Macron said he will appoint a new prime minister in the next few days in a combative evening address on Thursday.
The outgoing French prime minister Michel Barnier resigned this morning after losing a no-confidence vote last night, leading the French government to collapse.
Macron gave a scathing evening address this evening, calling the far-right and far-left who brought down Barnier as an "anti-Republican front".
In his 10-minute speech, he also made it abundantly clear that he will stay on until the end of his term in 2027, and will not resign as some had expected.
“The mandate you have given me is for 5 years and I will exercise it until the very end,” he said.
Macron must now appoint a new prime minister, which will prove difficult as France suffers from a fractured parliament and an increasingly difficult economic situation.
Michel Barnier lost a vote of no-confidence in his government yesterday that was called after he used special powers to force through a budget without a vote.
He headed to the Elysee Palace this morning, leaving after an hour-long meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron.
Barnier and his government will stay on in a caretaker capacity until a new prime minister is nominated, the Elysee said in a statement.
Macron must now pick Barnier's successor to serve along side him over the remaining two years of his presidential term.
But no new legislative elections can be held until at least July, creating a potential stalemate for policymakers.
It comes after Barnier forced through a social security financing bill without a vote.
His austerity budget for next year also drew widespread backlash from the both right and left-wing parties.
The hard left launched the no-confidence motion due to the austerity measures in next year's budget.
A 331 MP majority in the 577-member chamber voted to oust the government. The National Assembly, France’s lower house of parliament, is deeply fractured, with no single party holding a majority.
It comprises three major blocs: Macron’s centrist allies; the left-wing coalition New Popular Front; and the far-right National Rally.
As many as 123 MPs from Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally party voted for the left-wing New Popular Alliance's motion.
Le Pen said after the vote that MPs "had a choice to make, and our choice is to protect the French" from a “toxic” budget.
Read more: Barnier ousted as France’s prime minister after losing vote of no confidence
She also accused Macron of being “largely responsible for the current situation”, adding that “the pressure on the president of the Republic will get stronger and stronger”.
In a final speech before the confidence vote, Barnier said: "I can tell you that it will remain an honour for me to have served France and the French with dignity”.
“This no-confidence motion … will make everything more serious and more difficult. That’s what I’m sure of.”
Barnier is the first French prime minister in 60 years to lose a no confidence vote. He held the position for the shortest time in the country's history, resigning after just three months.
He was voted in after a snap election in summer resulted in a hung parliament.
It comes as thousands of public sector workers took to the streets of France today as the political unrest continued.
Protesters took to the streets across Marseille and Paris calling for "quality public service" - the latter saw protestors march across the capital.
