Closing summary
France’s political crisis rumbled on throughout Monday, with parliament bracing for a showdown over Sébastien Lecornu’s new government and fresh calls for the National Assembly to be dissolved.
National Assembly president Yaël Braun-Pivet welcomed the appointment of Lecornu’s cabinet and appealed for “calm and constructive debate” ahead of a crucial week for the embattled prime minister, but her call was drowned out by a flurry of no-confidence motions and recriminations.
Marine Le Pen and far-right leader Éric Ciotti announced a rare alliance on the right, submitting a joint motion of censure on behalf of their parties – the National Rally and the Union of the Right for the Republic. In a joint statement, they said France faced “an unprecedented political crisis” and urged Macron to invoke article 12 of the constitution to dissolve parliament, calling it “the most effective and democratic way to lead our country out of the deadlock.”
Mathilde Panot, leader of the left wing France Unbowed (LFI), announced that her party had “just filed a motion of no confidence that will bring down Lecornu’s new government,” adding: “The country has no time to lose. Lecornu will fall and Macron will follow.”
Far-right National Rally leader Jordan Bardella accused the Socialist Party of cutting “backroom deals” with the government to avoid backing a no-confidence vote, warning that those who “prolong the way Emmanuel Macron is damaging our country” would be held accountable.
President Emmanuel Macron accused his political opponents of fuelling unrest and destabilising his government. “The political forces in parliament which voted out [former prime minister] François Bayrou and the political forces that sought to destabilise Sébastien Lecornu are solely responsible for this sense of disorder [in France],” Macron told reporters in Egypt, where he is attending the Gaza peace summit today.
And that’s all from me, Matthew Pearce, for today.
National Rally leader Jordan Bardella accuses Socialist party of “backroom deals” to dodge no-confidence vote
The far-right National Rally leader Jordan Bardella has accused France’s Socialist party (PS) of striking covert deals with the government to avoid backing a no-confidence vote against Emmanuel Macron’s administration.
Speaking outside his party’s Paris headquarters, Bardella claimed the Socialists were “wheeling and dealing in the corridors of Matignon to try to buy themselves off on pension reform” rather than standing by their principles.
“The PS must come out of the shadows. Are they with Emmanuel Macron or are they in opposition? This is the moment of truth,” he said.
“We can’t keep going like this, hiding behind backroom arrangements,” Bardella continued. “Those who choose to prolong the way Emmanuel Macron is damaging our country will have to answer to the French people.”
