French President Macron vows to stay in office, pledges to appoint new PM soon

PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron vowed to continue his five-year mandate despite the recent no-confidence vote that led to the resignation of Prime Minister Michel Barnier. Macron also emphasised his responsibility to ensure the continuity of the state, the proper functioning of institutions, and the protection of the French people.

The remarks by the French President came while he addressed the nation on Thursday from the Elysee Palace. “Finally, the mandate that you democratically entrusted to me is a five-year mandate, and I will exercise it fully until its end. My responsibility requires ensuring the continuity of the State, the proper functioning of our institutions, the independence of our country, and the protection of all of you”.

He added, “I have been doing this from the beginning, at your side, through social crises, the Covid-19 epidemic, the return of war, inflation and so many trials that we have shared”, Elysee said.

Nous allons le faire pour notre pays. pic.twitter.com/9RmSJTMw0B

— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) December 5, 2024

Macron also vowed to appoint a new prime minister within days. He said, “From today, a new era must begin where everyone must act for France and where new compromises must be built. Because the planet is moving forward, because the challenges are numerous and because we must be ambitious for France. We cannot afford divisions or inaction”.

“This is why I will appoint a Prime Minister in the coming days. I will charge him with forming a government of general interest representing all the political forces of an arc of government, who can participate in it or at least who undertake not to censor it. The Prime Minister will have to lead these consultations and form a tight government at your service”, Macron said.

During his address, Macron also spoke about French Prime Minister Barnier and praised him for his “dedication and tenacity”. Macron said, “The Prime Minister handed me his resignation and that of his government, and I have taken note of it. I would like to thank Michel Barnier for the work he has done for the country, for his dedication and for his tenacity. He and his ministers rose to the occasion when so many others did not.”

Sharing a post on X, Macron wrote, “I want to thank @MichelBarnier for the work he has done for our country, for his dedication and his tenacity.”

Notably, the 331 members of the 577-seat lower house of the French parliament voted to remove Barnier’s centrist minority government, throwing the country into political instability as it faces a growing budget deficit, Al Jazeera reported on Wednesday.

The vote was triggered by far-left and far-right opposition parties after Barnier used special powers to push through budget measures without parliamentary approval. Barnier’s government became the first in more than six decades to be toppled by a no-confidence vote.

At 73 years old, Barnier served only 91 days as prime minister, while his government, consisting of centrist and right-wing ministers, lasted just 74 days, as reported by Euronews.

Barnier’s government became a target of two no-confidence votes after it used Article 49.3 of the French constitution to bypass a parliamentary vote and push through a social security budget bill, Euronews reported. The social security budget bill has now been rejected.

Barnier led a fragile minority government composed of President Macron’s centrist party and the right-wing Les Republicains (LR), but the alliance was informal and lacked an absolute majority. The RN, with 124 seats in the National Assembly, held significant influence in the political landscape. (ANI)