Macron on the edge as French president ‘weaker than he’s ever has been | World | News

The French President Emmanuel Macron is reportedly in a weaker political position than ever before this morning after his prime minister, Michel Barnier, was ousted.

The EU’s former Brexit negotiator was defeated in a vote of no confidence after trying to convince members of the French National Assembly to keep him in post.

Left and far-right parties united to collapse the government yesterday. This was just three months after Mr Barnier was appointed by Macron.

Barnier’s leadership was questioned after he deployed special powers to push through a 2025 budget without a vote.

BBC Radio 4’s Today programme reported this morning (Thursday, December 5) reaction from ovber the English Channel.

“Le Monde says that, ‘without a budget for 2025, and now without a government, France finds itself in a new period of politcal uncertainty.'”

Newspapers in France have been reflecting on the collapse of Michel Barnier’s government. Le Figaro calls it “a brutal end to an impossible mission, which has opened a political and budgetery crisis”.

“Libération says it leaves President Emmanuel Macron ‘weaker than ever’, and says he ‘must find a response as quickly as possible.”

The host added: “It points out it’s the first French government to be overthrown in this was since Georges Pompidou in 1962.”

Barnier’s economic plans, Politico reports, involved bringing down France’s budget deficit and getting the country’s finances in order.

To do so, he proposed a budget with €60 billion including tax hikes and spending cuts.

In a last ditch attempt to pass the legislation, the French premier’s office pledged that the government would not stop reimbursing patients for certain types of drugs.

This was one of the key demands that the National Rally party, led by Marine Le Pen, had put forward.

President Macron says he will address France this evening. After the vote that ousted Barnier, Marine Le Pen described Barnier’s budget as ‘toxic’.

The far-left leader, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, meanwhile said that the former prime minister’s downfall ‘inevitable’.

In recent weeks Macron, who is supposed to serve until 2027, has faced calls to quit. However, he has already confirmed he will not be ending his mandate early.

“It so happens that if I am before you, it is because I was elected twice by the French people,” he told journalists.

“I am extremely proud of this and I will honor this trust with all the energy that is mine until the last second to be useful to the country”.