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Emmanuel Macron He rejected calls to resign and attacked his opponents on Monday, as his latest government was threatened by two no-confidence motions that could topple it by the end of the week.
France It is in the midst of its worst political crisis in decades as minority governments try to push deficit-reducing budgets through a turbulent legislature divided into three distinct ideological factions.
Mr Macron has dismissed five prime ministers in less than two years, and many of his rivals have said the only way out of the crisis is for the president to call new legislative elections or resign, both of which he has refused to do.
Shortly after arriving in Egypt on Monday to attend a meeting to end the war in Gaza, Mr Macron accused his rivals of destabilizing France and said he had no plans to step down before his second and final term ends in 2027.
“I ensure continuity and stability and I will continue to do so,” he said. He urged people not to forget that the mandate given to the President means “to serve, serve and serve”.
On Friday, Mr Macron reappointed Sébastien Lecornu, who had resigned earlier in the week, as prime minister. Mr Macron’s office announced Mr Lecornu’s new cabinet late Sunday, with several top jobs unchanged, despite the prime minister’s pledge to name ministers symbolizing “renewal and diversity.”
The hard-left “France Unbowed” (LFI) party and the far-right National Rally (RN) both filed motions of no confidence on Monday.
Mr Lecornu will likely face a no-confidence vote on Thursday. It is unclear whether he has the votes needed to survive, as the Socialists – whose support he will almost certainly need to fight – have kept their options open.
The socialists want Mr. Lecornu to repeal Mr. Macron’s pension reform and impose a billionaires tax, rejecting the right measure outright.
“There will be no condemnation if the prime minister commits to abandoning Article 49.3 and suspending pension reform,” Socialist MP Philippe Brun told Reuters. He referred to the constitutional device used to pass legislation through parliament without a vote and echoed comments by party secretary Olivier Faure on Sunday.
Mr Lecornu, already France’s shortest-serving prime minister whose first term lasted only 27 days, has not ruled out resigning again if he cannot accomplish his mission.
When Jordan Bardella, president of the RN party, was asked on TF1 TV whether he would support the hard-left’s proposal, he said: “I am not a sectarian… I believe that France’s interest today is to ensure that Emmanuel Macron is stopped in his tracks”.
The first meeting of the newly appointed cabinet was held on Monday afternoon and it will have to present the budget by Wednesday.
France has the eurozone’s largest deficit, and Mr Macron has tasked several prime ministers with passing lean budgets.
Mr Lecornu aims to slash the budget by €30 billion next year to reduce the fiscal deficit to 4.7 percent of economic output. The Tribune Reported on Monday.
The issue, which is due to be published on Tuesday, says the budget will aim to cut costs by €31 billion through a mix of spending cuts and increased revenue.
The budget is expected to include a tax measure targeting holding companies used by the wealthy and that pensions and social benefits will not be raised in line with inflation, the newspaper reported.
Michel Barnier was the first to try, but he was shot down by parliament last December over proposed budget cuts to the 2025 budget. His successor, Francois Bayrou, managed to get the 2025 law passed, but was ousted last month over his proposals for the 2026 budget.
“The political forces who decided to vote against François Bayrou and the political forces who tried to destabilize Sébastien Lecornu are entirely responsible for this mess,” Mr Macron said.