French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to appoint a new Prime Minister upon returning from a one-day trip to Poland on Thursday, December 12, following last week’s dramatic collapse of the government.
The political impasse began after Prime Minister Michel Barnier’s administration was ousted in a no-confidence vote over his cost-cutting budget, leaving Macron to navigate a fractured lower house split between leftist alliances, centrists, conservatives, and the far-right Rassemblement National (RN).
Macron had pledged to name a new Prime Minister within 48 hours after meeting party leaders earlier this week, but the decision remains fraught with challenges.
Key issues include addressing public discontent over the controversial pension reform that raised the retirement age to 64 and uniting deeply divided political factions.
Among the potential candidates are veteran centrist François Bayrou, former Socialist Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve, Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu, and ex-Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian. However, Macron faces pressure to offer a fresh start, with Greens leader Marine Tondelier urging him to bring “momentum and new energy” to French politics.
Meanwhile, far-right leader Marine Le Pen has expressed contentment at being excluded from negotiations, as her Rassemblement National appears to benefit from the ongoing political instability.
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