The French have a new government and may be a bit surprised. Although they rejected the far-right National Rally in the snap elections and opted for the left-wing bloc, the government was formed by politicians from Emmanuel Macron's centrist political camp and the center-right. This is a mockery of democracy – say those who received the most votes but could not agree on a candidate for head of government. Michel Barnier was eventually elected prime minister, but he may not hold this position for long. The French parliament may vote on a vote of no confidence as early as October 1.
More than two months after the elections that deepened the divisions in the country, France has a new government. However, the new government has many opponents from the start. The French are skeptical about the prime minister, Michel Barnier, a former EU Brexit negotiator. Another main objection is that the new cabinet, which was formed by President Emmanuel Macron, does not reflect the results of the last elections, which were won by a bloc of left-wing parties.
“We oppose Macron's rejection of democratic principles. He did not respect the French people's choice when he appointed Barnier prime minister, even though his party did not win a majority,” says Lou Multier, a resident of Paris. “We are very disappointed with what is happening in politics. We believe it is unfair. The citizens, by voting, have determined who should govern this country. This is not a representative government,” says Josephine, a resident of Paris.
The left is talking about a stolen election because it was the New Popular Front, an alliance formed just weeks before the vote, that won in July, averting the specter of a far-right takeover. However, the left does not have the majority to govern alone. “We already know the cast of Macron's new disaster movie. (…) This government has no legitimacy and no future. We must get rid of it as soon as possible,” wrote left-wing leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon on Platform X.
According to people close to the president, talks on the division of 39 positions in the government continued until the official announcement of the cabinet. Politicians from Emmanuel Macron's “Renaissance” took over 12 of them. The Secretary General of the French Communist Party stated that “this is not a new government, but a reorganization.” According to the chairman of the French Socialist Party, Barnier's cabinet “is showing democracy the middle finger.” The composition of the new government was also criticized by the leader of the far-right, Marine Le Pen.
“The French, who twice expressed their desire to break with seven years of austerity and the failures of Macronism during the last elections, have once again ended up with a reshuffled government that is far from the desire for change and the alternatives they voted for in the June elections,” she wrote on the X platform.
Motion for a vote of no confidence
Michel Barnier's cabinet is far from the national unity promised by Emmanuel Macron, claims the French daily “Le Monde”. The ministers who have joined the new government come mainly from the president's political camp and the center-right Republicans party. The only minister from the left of the political scene is the independent Didier Migaud, who will head the Ministry of Justice.
“We have mostly right-wing ministers, although the right did not do as well as it had hoped in the parliamentary elections. Last year, after the introduction of new migration rules, we saw that our country was turning to the right. I hope that a vote of no confidence will be held quickly,” says Antoine Orcini, a resident of Paris.
The first challenge for the new government will be to adopt the 2025 budget. French finances are in a terrible state. The difficult task will fall to 33-year-old Antoine Armand – a politician from Macron's party, who has become the new finance minister. “I am aware of the enormity of the challenges we have to face. War is at Europe's door, and international competition often attacks us brutally. I think that in the face of these challenges we should start with honesty,” said the new French finance minister.
French media claim that “the government has barely been formed and is already in danger of falling.” Barnier will have to face the first vote of no confidence, requested by the left, on October 1, when he delivers his inaugural speech in parliament.
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Main image source: PAP/EPA/Teresa Suarez