PARIS, Dec 6: President Emmanuel Macron on Friday began his latest search for a new prime minister to lead France's unruly parliament, after rejecting demands he quit to end a crisis he said was driven by the far right and extreme left's "anti-republican front."
In a prime time address on Thursday, Macron said he would announce a new prime minister in the coming days to replace Michel Barnier, who was ousted in a no-confidence vote by lawmakers angered by his belt-tightening 2025 budget bill.
But it remains to be seen how Macron can cobble together enough support in parliament to pass a 2025 budget bill, or install a prime minister with any sort of longevity.
Macron's best hopes appear to lie with the Socialist Party, a moderate leftist grouping with 66 seats in the National Assembly. The Socialists voted to topple Barnier this week, but have since signalled they might be willing to support another government.
If Macron can win their backing, a new prime minister would likely have the numbers to stave off no-confidence motions from Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally and the hard-left France Unbowed.
Socialist Party leader Olivier Faure said he would meet with Macron on Friday, with his primary demand being a leftist prime minister. He also said he would be willing to make concessions on a previous demand for Macron's pension reform to be scrapped. —REUTERS
