France’s Macron seeks new prime minister after government’s collapse

French President Emmanuel Macron is seeking his fifth prime minister in less than two years after opposition parties united to kick out centre-right Prime Minister Francois Bayrou over his unpopular plans for budget tightening.

Bayrou, handed a 364-194 defeat in a parliamentary confidence vote on Monday, will officially hand in his resignation to Macron during Tuesday.

Whoever Macron picks to succeed him will face the near impossible task of uniting parliament and finding ways to get a budget for next year adopted.

Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu’s name was among those circulating, with other options being to pick someone from the centre-left, or a technocrat.

There are no rules governing who Macron should choose, or how fast. Macron, 47 and in office since 2017, will appoint his new prime minister in the next few days, his office said on Monday.

The Socialists were among those saying it was their turn to govern. “I would like it to be the left, the greens. We need to claim power,” Socialist Party chief Olivier Faure told France Inter radio.

The far-right National Rally meanwhile repeated its call for a snap parliamentary or presidential election - both of which Macron has so far ruled out. The president’s decision last year to call a snap parliamentary election only resulted in a more fragmented parliament.

Market reaction was relatively muted in early trading on Tuesday, with Bayrou’s ousting already largely priced in. The next test will be Fitch’s decision on France’s sovereign rating on Friday.

The country is also gearing up for “Let’s Block Everything” anti-government protests on Wednesday, which have mushroomed on social media. The lack of centralized leadership among protesters means it is hard to assess how big or disruptive these will be.

“Now that the change of the prime minister is a done deal, they need to get rid of what’s higher up ... that’s a message for Macron,” 61-year-old protester Alain Petit said at a so-called “farewell drink” for Bayrou organised in Clermont-Ferrand, in central France, late on Monday.

Other such “farewell drinks” for Bayrou were organised in front of city halls across the country, with people there saying they were gearing up for Wednesday’s protests.

Labour unions have announced a day of strikes and protests on September 18.

Source: Reuters

- Agencies