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Tag: French Prime Minister

  • France’s Lecornu likely to survive no-confidence votes in parliament

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    French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu faces two no-confidence motions in parliament on Thursday, although his chance of being ousted are seen as slim.

    Lecornu on Tuesday announced the suspension of an unpopular pension reform that raised the retirement age from 62 to 64, a signature policy measure of President Emmanuel Macron’s second term.

    The concession secured Lecornu support from the Socialists, who had demanded the pause as a condition for tolerating the fragile centre-right government.

    But lawmakers in France are not bound by party-line voting, making the outcome of the no-confidence motions tabled by left-wing and far-right parties far from certain.

    If Lecornu survives the vote, his government can press ahead with the difficult task of trying to get next year’s budget passed, which includes huge spending cuts and tax measures.

    A defeat would likely trigger the dissolution of parliament and fresh elections, as it is considered unlikely that Macron would again appoint a new prime minister to form a government.

    Since the snap parliamentary election called by Macron in mid-2024, the National Assembly has been split into several political blocs, none of which commands a governing majority or can form a stable coalition. Lecornu’s Cabinet is already the fourth government since that vote.

    The country’s high public debt has underscored the need for cross-party agreement on spending cuts, but deep party divisions have soured the public mood and increased political instability.

    Lecornu’s two immediate predecessors – Michel Barnier and François Bayrou – both lost confidence votes as they tried to push through unpopular austerity measures in the eurozone’s second-biggest economy.

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  • France’s Lecornu explains surprise reappointment as prime minister

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    French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu on Saturday explained his surprise reappointment by French President Emmanuel Macron, just days after he announced his resignation.

    Lecornu, a close ally of Macron, took office as prime minister just four weeks ago but resigned on Monday amid government tensions, plunging France into a further political crisis.

    But his return was confirmed on Friday after he was tasked by Macron with holding last-ditch talks with political opponents to find a path forward after months of instability in Paris.

    Under the French constitution, a new budget for the coming year must be submitted to parliament by a prime minister by Monday at the latest.

    “I have no other ambition than to get us out of this situation, which is objectively very difficult for everyone,” said Lecornu in the Paris suburb of L’Haÿ-les-Roses on Saturday.

    “So I give myself a pretty clear task,” he said, referring to the budget deadline. “And then either the political forces help me with it and we work together – or they don’t.”

    France has been mired in political deadlock since a snap election in mid-2024, which left no camp with a majority.

    While a left-wing alliance emerged with the most seats, Macron has steadfastly refused to work with the left, nominating a series of centrist and conservative prime ministers that have proven unable to build parliamentary majorities.

    Lecornu must now put together a Cabinet quickly over the weekend and has hinted that he could turn to the left.

    “I think we need a government that also reflects parliamentary reality. That is essential, that is democracy.”

    The government is already facing a vote of no confidence from the opposition at the beginning of the week. This means that Lecornu and his future government team could be toppled as soon as Thursday.

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