French President Emmanuel Macron was meeting allies and senior politicians on Thursday as he sought to swiftly appoint a new prime minister, a day after far-right and leftist lawmakers toppled Michel Barnier's minority government, APA reports citing Reuters.
Francois Bayrou, whose name is often cited by French media as a possible successor to Barnier, was due to have lunch with Macron, Le Parisien newspaper and other media reported. Bayrou is a veteran centrist politician and a close Macron ally.
Outgoing defence minister Sebastien Lecornu is also cited as a possible candidate for prime minister. There was no word yet of a possible Macron meeting with him.
Three sources told Reuters on Wednesday that Macron aimed to appoint a replacement swiftly, with one saying he wanted to do so before a ceremony on Saturday to reopen Notre-Dame Cathedral - renovated after a devastating fire. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is among world leaders expected to attend.
Allies in Macron's own camp joined the chorus urging swift action. After the late June and early July snap elections, it took Macron nearly two months to appoint Barnier.
"I recommend that he proceed quickly to the appointment of a prime minister, it's important, we must not leave things up in the air," National Assembly president Yael Braun-Pivet told France Inter radio before meeting Macron around noon.
Macron, who is due to give a televised address to the nation at 8pm (1900 GMT), will also meet the head of the Senate at 1400 GMT, French media said.
*** 14:44
Michel Barnier, the ousted French prime minister, has arrived at the Élysee Palace to submit his resignation and that of his government to President Emmanuel Macron, APA reports citing The Telegraph.
Mr Barnier’s convoy arrived just after 9am as the outgoing premier is constitutionally obliged to offer to step down after losing a no-confidence vote.
The result was carried by 331 votes in the 577-seat Paris parliament on Wednesday and has plunged France into a period of political paralysis.
The loss means that Mr Barnier, the 73-year-old former EU Brexit negotiator who was only appointed in September, has officially become the shortest-serving prime minister in modern French history.
Following the collapse of President Macron’s latest government, unions have called for strikes and street demonstrations across the country in response.
Follow us on Telegram
t.me/apanewsaz
Follow us on Instagram
Follow us on TikTok
Follow us on Facebook
Follow us on X
