The political instability in France — and simultaneously in Germany, where the governing coalition collapsed a month ago — could have wide-ranging consequences.
French President Emmanuel Macron has vowed to see out his current term until 2027 and name a new government in the next few days, amid a spiraling political criss that has threatened to engulf his leadership.
Speaking Thursday at his official residence in the Elysée Palace in Paris, Macron thanked the outgoing Prime Minister Michel Barnier for his “dedication”, after a majority of National Assembly lawmakers voted to remove Barnier Wednesday, forcing him to resign. Macron accused the opposition parties of choosing “chaos”, saying they “don’t want to build, they want to dismantle.”
The political instability in France — and simultaneously in Germany, where the governing coalition collapsedcould have wide-ranging consequences for European security, as well as trans-Atlantic relations, analysts tell NPR, just weeks before President-elect Donald Trump enters the White House. With a war still raging on Europe’s doorstep, caretaker governments will now control two of the continent’s most powerful economies.
President Macron had appointed Barnier to head the government only three months ago, after snap elections this summer left no party with a majority in a deeply divided parliament.
On Wednesday, legislators from opposing extreme flanks came together in a vote of no confidence against Barnier, over his proposed 2025 national budget. Now, with the government toppled and no approved budget, Macron knows he must act quickly, according to Mathieu Gallard, a pollster at Ipsos.
“Regarding the adoption of the budget, everything is stalled, nothing can move in the parliament before we have a new government”, says Gallard.
