"So how might we describe what is happening in France, now on its fifth (or sixth, depending how you count) premier in two years three of them in the past 10 months? The latest prime minister, the recently reappointed Sebastien Lecornu, may have bought himself a stay of execution on Tuesday, sacrificing Emmanuel Macron's flagship pensions overhaul in exchange for opposition Socialist votes as the price for his government's survival."
"Essential context: ever since Macron called an ill-advised snap general election in 2024, France has had a hung parliament divided into three warring blocs left, far right and his own centre-right alliance none with anything close to a majority. At the same time, the country faces dual debt and deficit crises: its debt-to-GDP ratio and budget shortfall are now almost twice the EU limit, and hard constitutional deadlines to pass a 2026 budget that at least begins to rein in spending are nigh."
"Against that unforgiving backdrop, both Lecornu's immediate predecessors as French prime minister Michel Barnier, who lasted from September to December 2024, and Francois Bayrou, who took office from December 2024 to September 2025 were ousted by parliament. In mid-September, the president appointed his close ally Lecornu as his latest PM. But when, a little over two weeks ago, Lecornu unveiled his new cabinet which turned out to be much the sam"
France is experiencing an escalating political permacrisis marked by rapidly changing prime ministers and fragile governing coalitions. The country has seen five (or six) premiers in two years, including three in the past ten months. The reappointed prime minister, Sebastien Lecornu, secured short-term survival by sacrificing a flagship pensions overhaul to gain Socialist support. Since a 2024 snap election, a hung parliament remains divided into left, far-right, and centre-right blocs, with no majority. Concurrently, France faces dual debt and deficit crises, with debt-to-GDP and budget shortfalls nearly twice EU limits and urgent constitutional deadlines to pass a 2026 budget.
Read at www.theguardian.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]