French President Emmanuel Macron vows to name new PM within days

Responding to Macron’s speech on Thursday, Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right National Rally (RN), posted social media: “A little reminder to President Macron, who is supposed to be the guarantor of the Constitution: censure is not anti-republican, it is provided for in the Constitution of our Fifth Republic.”

The no-confidence vote that toppled Barnier’s leadership had been tabled by both the New Popular Front (NFP) left-wing alliance, and Le Pen’s RN.

They united to censure the government after the former Brexit negotiator used special powers to force through his budget without a vote.

A total of 331 MPs voted in support of the motion against Barnier, far more than the 288 required for it to pass.

Barnier resigned on Thursday, and the budget was automatically withdrawn. He will remain in office on a caretaker basis with his ministers until a new government is appointed. Macron’s role is unaffected.

Macron has been heavily criticised for deciding to call snap elections, creating a deadlock in parliament and an escalating political crisis.

He admitted in his address that his decision “was not understood”: “Many have blamed me for it and, I know, many continue to blame me. It’s a fact and it’s my responsibility.”

Addressing voters directly, he said some of his political opponents had chosen “chaos over responsibility” and that they were not thinking “about you, the voters”, suggesting their focus was on the next presidential elections.

Macron gave no indication of who the next prime minister would be, but said their immediate focus would be the budget for 2025.

Speculation has been swirling over who could be named, with potential candidates including Defence Minister Sébastien Lecornu, Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, and centrist former presidential candidate François Bayrou.

Before Macron chose Barnier as prime minister, he asked his predecessor Gabriel Attal to stay on as caretaker for two months after the summer elections.

It seems highly unlikely that the next government can be in place before Saturday, when world leaders including US President-elect Donald Trump are due to attend the opening ceremony of the rebuilt Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris.

The building was devastated by fire in April 2019, and its reconstruction little more than five years later has drawn worldwide praise.

Macron said the rebuilding of the ravaged cathedral, plus France’s successful hosting of the 2024 Olympics, were “proof that we can do great things”.

“We can do the impossible,” he said. “The world admires us for that.”