The French president, Emmanuel Macron, is under pressure to appoint a new prime minister this week after the ousted conservative Michel Barnier warned that any government would face the challenge of public debt and deep divisions in society.
Barnier’s government held its last cabinet meeting with Macron on Wednesday after it collapsed in a no-confidence vote last week.
He thanked Macron for the “frank” exchanges they were able to have during his three months at the head of a minority coalition, Le Monde reported. But he warned of “social, territorial and rural divisions” fracturing France and “a feeling of abandonment” felt by many people over justice, education, crime, health and agriculture.
Barnier also said France’s financial debt was a “reality” any new government would have to face.
Macron this week gathered leaders from part of the political spectrum – including socialists, centrists and the rightwing Les Républicains – in a move to form what he called a “government of national interest”. Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally and Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s leftwing La France Insoumise (LFI) were not invited.
Maud Bregeon, the spokesperson for the outgoing government, said two options were being considered. First was “broadening” the existing alliance between centrists and the right, implying some politicians on the left could join the government.
Second would be to make a deal with opposition parties on the left to not back any no-confidence motion – even if they did not take part in government.
The toppling of the government has left Macron facing the worst political crisis of his two terms as president.
Since he called an inconclusive snap election in June, the French parliament has been divided between three groups with no absolute majority. A left alliance took the largest number of votes but fell short of an absolute majority; Macron’s centrist grouping suffered losses but is still standing; and the National Rally gained seats but was held back from power by tactical voting from the left and centre.
The Green leader, Marine Tondelier, part of the left alliance, said this week that Macron and his grouping were not ready for any “compromise or concession”.
Macron had hoped to prise the socialists, Greens and communists away from their left alliance with the LFI, but their party leaders insisted a new prime minister should be named from the left.
On Wednesday the Socialist party leader, Olivier Faure, spoke out against the possible appointment as prime minister of Macron’s centrist ally, François Bayrou, who has been tipped as a contender.
Faure told BFMTV that Bayrou, 73, would embody “continuity” and he wanted to see a prime minister “from the left”.
Party leaders said the president had promised to appoint a prime minister within 48 hours. But a government spokesperson said Macron had not provided any firm deadline.
The outgoing government announced a special bill meant to enable the state to levy taxes from 1 January, based on this year’s rules, and avoid a shutdown. The new government’s first task would be to present a proper budget law for 2025 and get it approved by parliament.
