By Nerea González
Paris, Dec. 5 (EFE).- French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday harshly criticized the opposition for having toppled the government of Prime Minister Michel Barnier to «create disorder» and, despite the fiasco, said he will seek to repeat the same tactic of electing a prime minister «of general interest» appealing to unity and responsibility.
In a televised address to the country, Macron explained that the new prime minister «will be charged with forming a government of general interest, representing all the political forces (…) that commit themselves not to vote for a motion of censure,» Macron said.
It is the same tactic he proposed last September, which led him to appoint Barnier, a former European Brexit negotiator from the right supported by Macron’s party and the conservatives but under the watchful eye of Marine Le Pen’s far-right party.
However, after three months of fragile balance, the government broke under the first test: the austere budgets to reduce the soaring French deficit in 2025 (a projected 6.1% for 2024) and meet the demands of the European Union.
«I know that some people are tempted to hold me responsible for this situation (…) but I will never take responsibility (for the actions) of others, and in particular of the lawmakers who consciously chose to bring down the budget and the government of France a few days before Christmas,» Macron said, referring to lawmakers on the far right and left.
Finding compromises and prioritizing budgets
Despite social discontent and calls for Macron’s resignation from the opposition, which increased during the past week, Macron assured that he will finish his term in 2027 as planned.
«The mandate that you have democratically entrusted to me is a five-year mandate, and I will fully exercise it until its end,» the president said, adding that he is responsible for the functioning of the institutions and the country,» Macron said.
He said he was aware that the current situation stems from his own decision to dissolve the National Assembly in June to call early elections, that this position was «not understood» and that he was aware that many have criticized him for it, but he said the action gave the people «back their voice,» which he saw as necessary.
The results make it necessary for the political parties to understand each other in a fragmented National Assembly, without clear absolute majorities and more fragmented than ever, with three irreconcilable blocs (left, center and moderate right, and extreme right).
The French president also explained that the new government will have to pass a transitional law at the beginning of next year to extend the 2024 budgets so that the activity of the State is not interrupted and to implement new ones for 2025.
Same opposition
Macron’s speech was not a surprise to the opposition, which immediately criticized the president for not taking responsibility.
«A quick reminder to President Macron, who is supposed to be the guarantor of the Constitution: censorship is not anti-republican, it is provided for in the Constitution of our Fifth Republic,» Marine Le Pen said on X.
For the left, the president’s speech made it clear, as he did in September, that he does not consider naming a someone proposed by the left-wing coalition of the New Popular Front (NFP, which brings together the Socialists, the Insubmissives, the Ecologists and the Communists), despite being the force that came out with the most deputies in the July legislative elections.
«I really think we’re looking at a president of the republic who is in charge of everything but responsible for nothing,» said Lucie Castets, the NFP’s candidate for PM.
Currently, the most likely candidates to replace Barnier are from the center to the conservative right, such as the Macronist loyalist Sébastien Lecornu, Minister of Defense since 2017, the centrist François Bayrou, or the Minister of the Interior, Bruno Retailleau, belonging to the traditional right and not so far from the extreme right in many positions.
The search for the new prime minister will continue Friday at the Elysee, where Macron will receive the leaders of the parliamentary groups of the center, socialism, and conservatives. EFE
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