France’s Macron races to choose new PM

PARIS - French President Emmanuel Macron raced on Dec 11 to meet a self-imposed 48-hour deadline to name a new prime minister after he hosted party bosses in a bid to hammer out a consensus and avoid a protracted political crisis.

Following the

ouster of the government of Mr Michel Barnier

in a historic no-confidence vote last week, Mr Macron on Dec 10 gathered leaders from across the political spectrum in a bid to form a “government of national interest”.

The bosses of the far-right National Rally (RN) and hard-left France Unbowed (LFI), who joined forces to oust Mr Barnier, were not invited.

Mr Macron, who is set to travel to Poland on Dec 12, aimed to name a new prime minister “within 48 hours”, said the party chiefs who had met him on Dec 10.

Several people close to the President said the announcement could come as early as the evening of Dec 11.

Last week, far-right and hard-left lawmakers joined forces to oust the minority government of Mr Barnier following a stand-off over an austerity budget.

Mr Macron is now under huge pressure to form a government that can survive a no-confidence vote and pass a budget for 2025 in a bid to limit political and economic turmoil.

The French leader dissolved Parliament in June after the far right trounced his alliance in European elections, and called snap parliamentary polls that resulted in a hung Parliament.

Elusive progress

He told party leaders on Dec 10 that he did not want to dissolve the National Assembly Lower House again before the end of his second and final term in 2027, a person close to him said.

Mr Barnier, prime minister for only three months, remains in charge on a caretaker basis until a new government is appointed.

On Dec 11, the Cabinet were due to discuss a special budget law to allow the French state to keep functioning in the new year.

The National Assembly will debate the Bill on Dec 16, a parliamentary source said, with most parties saying they will back it in the name of stability.

Some commentators said that bringing together so many parties marked progress from Mr Macron’s new attempt to reach consensus after the snap election, but progress still appeared elusive.

Greens leader Marine Tondelier said on Dec 10 the presidential camp was not ready for any “compromise or concession”, but Mr Macron had stressed the need “to no longer rely on the RN to govern”.

Her party is part of the left-wing New Popular Front (NFP), which emerged as the largest bloc in the National Assembly after the summer elections.

Mr Macron has hoped to prise the Socialists, Greens and Communists away from their pact with the LFI but their bosses insist a new prime minister should be named from their ranks.

On Dec 11 morning, Socialist Party leader Olivier Faure spoke out against the candidacy of Mr Macron’s centrist ally Francois Bayrou tipped as a possible contender for prime minister.

Mr Faure told broadcaster BFMTV/RMC that Mr Bayrou, 73, would embody a “continuity”, whereas he wanted to see a prime minister “from the left”.

He refused to say whether the Socialists would censure a government led by the centrist.

‘Medal of opposition’

Far-right leader Marine Le Pen, who emerged as kingmaker after the elections, said she relished being awarded the “medal of the opposition” while mainstream parties held “a banquet to share out jobs” in government.

An Ifop-Fiducial poll for Le Figaro Magazine and Sud Radio published on Dec 11 indicated that Ms Le Pen would win between 36 per cent and 38 per cent of the vote in the first round of the French presidential election.

The poll, carried out after Mr Barnier’s ouster, suggested Ms Le Pen would obtain 36 per cent of the vote against centre-right former premier Edouard Philippe (25 per cent) and 38 per cent against Mr Barnier’s predecessor Gabriel Attal (20 per cent).

Some observers have suggested that Ms Le Pen, 56, is seeking to bring down Mr Macron before his term ends by joining forces with the hard left and ousting Mr Barnier.

“Macron hopes to replace the informal deal with Le Pen’s far right which initially sustained the short-lived Barnier government with a more formal deal with the moderate left and independents,” risk consultancy Eurasia Group said. AFP