France: Macron Rejects Calls to Quit, Slams Extreme Left And Right

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Facts

  • Pres. Emmanuel Macron addressed France on Thursday, soon after the collapse of Prime Minister Michel Barnier's minority government following Wednesday's no-confidence vote.[1]
  • 331 out of 577 National Assembly members voted to remove Barnier's government — the first successful no confidence motion since 1962 — after he tried to pass the 2025 budget without a vote.[2]
  • Macron accepted some responsibility for events following his snap dissolution of parliament in July. Asserting he would serve his full term until 2027, he accused the 'extreme left and extreme right' of forming an anti-republican front.[3][4]
  • Macron also announced plans to appoint a new prime minister in the 'coming days,' forming a government of parties willing to 'participate' instead of censure. He added that a 2025 budget would be submitted to parliament before mid-December.[5][6]
  • France's deficit for 2024 is expected to be around 6% of GDP, double the EU's cap. Barnier's budget attempted to cut it to 5% in 2025 through €20B ($21B) in taxation and €42B in spending cuts.[7][8]
  • While Barnier has handed in his resignation, his team will reportedly continue in a caretaker capacity until a new government is appointed.[9]

Sources: [1]Euronews (a), [2]Euractiv (a), [3]BBC News, [4]France 24, [5]Le Parisien, [6]Le Monde, [7]Euronews (b), [8]Euractiv (b) and [9]Elysee.Fr.

Narratives

  • Right narrative, as provided by Boulevard Voltaire and C. While Macron clings onto power, it is clear to all outside of the Élysée that the President must leave. Meanwhile, Barnier's disastrous tenure shows that a majority must be commanded within the National Assembly if the country is to be saved from its stasis — and polling shows that National Rally's Jordan Bardella is the preferred candidate of the French people.
  • Left narrative, as provided by L'Humanité and Regards. While Barnier may have fallen, the hundreds of thousands of people protesting on the streets of France are a stark reminder of the dire state of affairs for which Macron remains responsible. With France now on the brink, it is up to the New Popular Front to delicately balance its Left-wing coalition within government and lead France into a new era of reform and social justice.
  • Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by The i Paper and Neue Zürcher Zeitung. Macron's upcoming choice of prime minister is a make or break moment for the President. With sharks circling both on the left and right of the political spectrum, it is important for Macron to restore stability — even if by unconventional means — in order to prevent an economic and geopolitical crisis.

Predictions