PARIS, OCT 14 (AFP/APP): Embattled French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu was preparing to give a high-stakes speech to a divided parliament on Tuesday, with two parties already trying to topple his government.
France, the eurozone’s second-largest economy, is in a political crisis that has spooked markets and raised concern about its minority government’s ability to govern and pass measures to ease the country’s debt burden.
After a week of drama that saw Lecornu resign only to be re-appointed days later, the 39-year-old prime minister has urged his new cabinet to do everything to help France overcome the deadlock.
Lecornu was on Tuesday morning meeting Macron, who has returned from a summit in Egypt aiming to find an end to the Gaza war.
All eyes will be on Lecornu from 1300 GMT when he gives his policy speech in parliament, where opponents have threatened to vote his cabinet out.
The hard-left France Unbowed party and far-right National Rally have already filed motions to topple Lecornu’s new cabinet.
The Socialists have said they will not back the motions, giving them little chance of succeeding, but will file their own motion if Lecornu does not immediately suspend a reform that raised the retirement age from 62 to 64.
The reform, which the government forced through parliament without a vote in 2023, sparked months of angry protests.
In a bid to gain opposition backing, Lecornu earlier this month promised not to use that measure, and allow all bills to be debated in the lower house.
But Lecornu, the seventh prime minister of Macron’s mandate, has also said his priority was to get a budget approved by the end of the year.
– ‘Everyone’s duty’ –
Lecornu told his new cabinet on Monday he was counting on them to “show the utmost restraint and humility”.
“Service is something that requires putting egos aside,” said Lecornu.
Lecornu’s two immediate predecessors were ousted in a standoff over an austerity budget, and his immediate task is to put together a 2026 budget plan.
The new cabinet is expected to present a draft budget on Tuesday that aims for a deficit below five percent of GDP, according to government spokesperson Maud Bregeon.
The government must give parliament the constitutionally required 70 days to scrutinise the plan before the end of the year.
Macron has come under unprecedented pressure in recent days.
Some opposition leaders are urging him to call snap elections or resign, and even key allies such as former prime minister Edouard Philippe have distanced themselves from the 47-year-old president.
Macron sought to shift all responsibility for the turmoil to political rivals as he travelled to Egypt on Monday, saying those who had sought to destabilise Lecornu were “solely responsible for this chaos”.
“It is everyone’s duty to work towards stability,” he said.
France has been locked in political deadlock ever since Macron gambled on snap elections in the summer last year.
He had hoped the polls would consolidate his power, but they instead ended up in a hung parliament, with the National Rally gaining ground and becoming the chamber’s single largest party.
The far right senses its strongest chance to seize power in the 2027 presidential elections, when Macron’s second and last term runs out.
France’s debt-to-GDP ratio is the European Union’s third-highest after Greece and Italy, and is close to twice the 60 percent permitted under EU rules.
