Emmanuel Macron vows to name new French PM within days
French President Emmanuel Macron announced that he will appoint a new prime minister “in the coming days” after Michel Barnier resigned following a no-confidence vote in parliament.
In a 10-minute address to the nation on Thursday, Macron dismissed calls from the opposition for him to step down, stating he would remain in office “fully, until the end of the mandate” in 2027.
He expressed gratitude toward Barnier for his service during his short tenure as prime minister and accused the far-right and hard-left factions of forming an “anti-republican front” to destabilize the government.
On Wednesday, French MPs overwhelmingly voted to remove Barnier, just three months after his appointment by Macron. This vote marked the first time in over 60 years that a French government had been ousted by parliament, an unprecedented move according to Macron.
In response, Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right National Rally (RN), took to social media to remind Macron, who is meant to uphold the Constitution, that censure is not “anti-republican” but is actually provided for in the Constitution of the Fifth Republic.
The no-confidence motion that led to Barnier’s downfall was tabled by both the left-wing New Popular Front (NFP) alliance and Le Pen’s RN. The two groups united in their opposition after Barnier used special powers to push through his budget without a parliamentary vote.
A total of 331 MPs voted in support of the motion against Barnier, far more than the 288 required for it to pass.
Barnier resigned on Thursday, and the budget was automatically withdrawn. He will remain in office on a caretaker basis with his ministers until a new government is appointed. Macron’s role is unaffected.
Macron has been heavily criticised for deciding to call snap elections in July, creating a deadlock in parliament and an escalating political crisis.
He admitted the decision he took “was not understood”, saying: “Many have blamed me for it and I know, many continue to blame me. It’s a fact and it’s my responsibility.”
Addressing voters directly, he said some of his political opponents had chosen “chaos over responsibility” and that they were not thinking “about you, the voters”, suggesting their focus was on the next presidential elections.
Macron gave no indication of who the next prime minister would be, but said their immediate focus would be the budget for 2025.
Speculation has been swirling over who could be named, with potential candidates including Defence Minister Sébastien Lecornu, Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, and centrist former presidential candidate François Bayrou.
But finding someone who would be supported by the majority of factions within the stalemate parliament could be difficult, as was the case when former PM Gabriel Attal was asked to stay on as caretaker for two months after July’s elections.
It is unclear if the next government will now be in place before Saturday, when world leaders including US President-elect Donald Trump are due to attend the opening ceremony of the rebuilt Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris.
The building was devastated by fire in April 2019, and its reconstruction little more than five years later has drawn worldwide praise.
Macron said the rebuilding of the ravaged cathedral, plus France’s successful hosting of the 2024 Olympics, were “proof that we can do great things”.
“We can do the impossible,” he said. “The world admires us for that.”
