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2024 French political crisis

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This article is about the July-August 2024 French government and political crisis. For the mostly December 2023 French government crisis, which brought down the Borne government, see 2023-2024 French government crisis.

France entered a political crisis after the 2024 French legislative election organized by the French president Emmanuel Macron in June 2024. The results placed the left-wing coalition New Popular Front (NFP) in first place (193 MPs) above the presidential party, Renaissance (RE) (166 MPs), in second place, and the far-right party National Rally (RN) (142 MPs) in third place.[1][2] The French government submitted its resignation on 15 July 2024,[3] but was kept in place by the president while awaiting the appointment of a new prime minister to form a new government. At the same time, the caretaker French government continued operations in New Caledonia aimed at "pacifying" the region following unrest and uprisings sparked by a controversial reform. Emmanuel Macron announced to delay the appointment of a new prime minister until after the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics.[4] Initially, Macron announced that he would chose a new prime minister in mid-August.[4] In mid-August, Emmanuel Macron said that he would begin consultations with the main political parties on 23 August.[4]

On 26 August, the French president announced his refusal to appoint the NFP candidate as prime minister, contrary to the usual practice of cohabitation in the French Republic, which typically involves the leader of the largest party in the National Assembly being appointed as prime minister.[5] While Macron would like to see a centrist coalition form and called for another round of consultations, the Greens and a faction of the Socialist Party (PS), both minority members of the NFP, have announced their refusal to participate in further discussions.[6] The National Rally (RN), meanwhile, maintained a low-key attitude, aiming to capitalize on the disputes between Macron and the leftist parties that won the elections.[6]

This decision plunged France into a political crisis[7][8] and was followed by an announcement from France Unbowed (LFI), the main party of the NFP, stating their intention to initiate impeachment proceedings against the French president.[9] This was done on the 31st of August.[10]

The caretaker government remained in place so far for 47 days as of 31 August, a very unusual situation in French history and politics,[6] unprecedented since the previous record of 1962, when the fallen Pompidou government stayed for 62 days.[11] If no government were to be appointed by September 16, it would be the longest period without a government in French modern history.[11]

Background

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After the snap legislative elections called by French president Emmanuel Macron in response to the results of the previous month's European elections, where the far-right National Rally (RN) came out on top,[12] his party was defeated and finished in second place (166 MPs), behind the left-wing coalition of the New Popular Front (NFP) (193 MPs) and above the far-right National Rally (RN) (142 MPs).[13] The French government submitted its resignation on 15 July 2024, after being reduced to a minority.[3] At the same time, the caretaker French government was engaged in trying to handle the 2024 New Caledonia unrest, following the presidential party's attempt to implement a controversial reform of voting rights on the island in May 2024.[14]

Events

[edit]

Macron decided to hold off until mid-August, announcing that an 'Olympic truce' should be respected,[4] which was already a singular choice in French politics.[15] By mid-August, he had still not appointed a prime minister but instead announced his intention to consult with the various parties, which was done on 23 August.[4][16]

On 26 August, after meeting the leaders of the National Rally (RN), Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella,[17] Macron announced that, contrary to the usual practice of cohabitation in France,[18][19] he would not appoint Lucie Castets, the candidate nominated by the NFP to become prime minister.[20] This decision exacerbated the French political crisis,[21] and France Unbowed (LFI), the main party within the NFP, announced its intention to initiate impeachment proceedings against him.[9][22][23] While Macron would have liked to see a centrist coalition form and called for another round of consultations, the Greens and a faction of the Socialist Party (PS), both minority members of the NFP, announced their refusal to participate in further discussions.[6] The National Rally (RN), meanwhile, maintained a low-key attitude, aiming to capitalize on the disputes between Macron and the leftist parties that won the elections.[6] Various organizations called for protests and strikes to be held on the 7th September.[24]

On 28 August, former French president (2012-2017) François Hollande, a member of the NFP himself, called the crisis an 'institutional fault'.[25][26] On the same day, Macron announced that he would meet the leaders of the French regions.[27][28] On 29 August, the Socialist Party opened its summer university, where two opposing factions were expected to clash: those aligned with the political stance of the party's president, Olivier Faure, supporting Lucie Castets' candidacy, and the dissenters, such as Carole Delga and Bernard Cazeneuve, who advocated for an alliance with Emmanuel Macron's party and what they call the 'republican forces'.[29][30][31] Macron notably spoke with Delga on the morning of the 29.[29] Meanwhile, the General Confederation of Labour (CGT), France's largest union, condemned what it called a 'power grab' by the French president and called for a day of strikes and protests on October 1st against the budget announced by the caretaker government,[32] while refusing to say to participate in the 7 September planned protests, announcing that they preferred to focus on social and economic issues instead of political ones.[24] The same evening, Ségolène Royal, a former Socialist presidential candidate (2007) who left the Socialist Party in 2017 when she was appointed as ambassador by Macron,[33] before 'discreetly' rejoining the party in 2021 after being ousted from her ambassadorial post,[33] announced that she was 'available' for the position.[34][35]

On the 30th of August, right-wing former president (2007-2012) Nicolas Sarkozy called for a 'right-wing' prime minister to be named.[36]

On the 31st of August, France Unbowed (LFI) officially launched the proceedings to impeach Emmanuel Macron, using article 68 of the French constitution,[10][37][38] that states that :[39]

The President of the Republic can only be removed from office in the event of a breach of duties that is clearly incompatible with the exercise of their mandate.

References

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  1. ^ "Jean-Luc Mélenchon défend la proposition d'Huguette Bello, présidente du conseil régional de La Réunion, pour Matignon, et appelle la gauche à faire « vite »". Le Monde.fr (in French). Archived from the original on 2024-08-26. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
  2. ^ "Résultats des législatives 2024: NFP en tête selon les premières estimations, devant les macronistes puis le RN". RMC (in French). Archived from the original on 2024-07-13. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
  3. ^ a b David, Romain (2024-07-16). "Emmanuel Macron a accepté la démission de Gabriel Attal et de son gouvernement". Public Sénat (in French). Archived from the original on 2024-08-28. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
  4. ^ a b c d e "DECRYPTAGE. Nouveau Premier ministre : comment Emmanuel Macron "tâtonne" et temporise". ladepeche.fr (in French). Archived from the original on 2024-08-28. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
  5. ^ "France's unprecedented and dangerous political situation". 2024-08-27. Archived from the original on 2024-08-27. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
  6. ^ a b c d e Bland, Archie (2024-08-28). "Wednesday briefing: Why Emmanuel Macron doesn't want Lucie Castets as France's prime minister". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 2024-08-28. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
  7. ^ "Prez Macron sparks political crisis in France by refusing to appoint leftwing Prime Minister | World News". The Indian Express. 2024-08-27. Archived from the original on 2024-08-28. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
  8. ^ Bland, Archie (2024-08-28). "Wednesday briefing: Why Emmanuel Macron doesn't want Lucie Castets as France's prime minister". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 2024-08-28. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
  9. ^ a b Zhang, Sharon (2024-08-27). "Macron Refuses to Appoint Left-Wing Prime Minister, Sparking Call for Protest". Truthout. Archived from the original on 2024-08-28. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
  10. ^ a b "La France insoumise lance une proposition de résolution de destitution d'Emmanuel Macron". BFMTV (in French). Retrieved 2024-08-31.
  11. ^ a b David, Romain (2024-08-28). "44 jours de gouvernement démissionnaire : une situation pas totalement inédite". Public Sénat (in French). Archived from the original on 2024-08-28. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
  12. ^ "Européennes 2024 : le Rassemblement national progresse partout et gagne 2,5 millions de voix en cinq ans" (in French). 2024-06-10. Archived from the original on 2024-08-09. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
  13. ^ à 08h35, Par Louis Valleau Le 19 juillet 2024; À 10h24, Modifié Le 19 Juillet 2024 (2024-07-19). "142 pour le RN et Ciotti, 166 pour la macronie et 193 pour le NFP… voici la répartition finale de l'Assemblée nationale". leparisien.fr (in French). Archived from the original on 2024-08-19. Retrieved 2024-08-28.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  14. ^ "Gouvernement démissionnaire : l'énorme "Caillou" dans sa chaussure". France Inter (in French). 2024-07-16. Archived from the original on 2024-07-27. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
  15. ^ "France, de la crise au chaos politique". Le Monde diplomatique (in French). 2024-07-01. Archived from the original on 2024-08-29. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
  16. ^ "Nouveau premier ministre : ce qu'il faut retenir de la première journée de consultation des forces politiques par Emmanuel Macron". Le Monde.fr (in French). Archived from the original on 2024-08-27. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
  17. ^ "Emmanuel Macron reçoit Marine Le Pen et Jordan Bardella". France Culture (in French). 2024-08-26. Archived from the original on 2024-08-27. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
  18. ^ "Les cohabitations". www.vie-publique.fr. Archived from the original on 2024-06-26. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
  19. ^ "Rôle du président de la République, cohabitations : un historique". www.vie-publique.fr. Archived from the original on 2024-06-27. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
  20. ^ "Nouveau gouvernement : Emmanuel Macron refuse de nommer Lucie Castets et lance de nouvelles consultations". Les Echos (in French). 2024-08-26. Archived from the original on 2024-08-27. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
  21. ^ "Political crisis in France as Macron rejects candidates for prime minister". Channel 4 News. 2024-08-27. Archived from the original on 2024-08-28. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
  22. ^ "En quoi la procédure de destitution d'Emmanuel Macron annoncée par LFI consiste-t-elle ?" (in French). 2024-08-28. Archived from the original on 2024-08-28. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
  23. ^ "INVITÉE RTL - Nouveau Premier ministre : "Lucie Castets à Matignon ou alors Macron destitution", clame Mathilde Panot". www.rtl.fr (in French). 2024-08-28. Archived from the original on 2024-08-28. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
  24. ^ a b "Nouveau gouvernement: la CGT n'appelle pas à la manifestation du 7 septembre, mais espère qu'elle sera "réussie"". BFM BUSINESS (in French). Archived from the original on 2024-08-29. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
  25. ^ "Gouvernement : François Hollande dénonce une « faute institutionnelle » d'Emmanuel Macron en censurant Lucie Castets". Les Echos (in French). 2024-08-28. Archived from the original on 2024-08-28. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
  26. ^ "Pour François Hollande, la décision d'écarter Lucie Castets est une «faute institutionnelle»". RFI (in French). 2024-08-28. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
  27. ^ "INFO FRANCEINFO. Nouveau gouvernement : Emmanuel Macron va recevoir les représentants de Régions de France". Franceinfo (in French). 2024-08-28. Archived from the original on 2024-08-28. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
  28. ^ "Emmanuel Macron veut aussi consulter les représentants de Régions de France". lanouvellerepublique.fr (in French). 2024-08-28. Archived from the original on 2024-08-28. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
  29. ^ a b "Nomination du Premier ministre : "Candidate à rien", la présidente de la Région Occitanie Carole Delga s'est entretenue avec Emmanuel Macron". centrepresseaveyron.fr (in French). Archived from the original on 2024-08-29. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
  30. ^ "Nouveau premier ministre : le PS au bord de l'implosion à l'ouverture de son université d'été". SudOuest.fr (in French). 2024-08-29. Archived from the original on 2024-08-29. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
  31. ^ à 21h32, Par Julien Duffé Le 28 août 2024 (2024-08-28). "Carole Delga : « Il faut que la gauche s'ouvre aux autres forces républicaines »". leparisien.fr (in French). Archived from the original on 2024-08-29. Retrieved 2024-08-29.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  32. ^ "La CGT dénonce un "coup de force" d'Emmanuel Macron et appelle à une "puissante journée" de manifestations le 1ᵉʳ octobre". TF1 INFO (in French). 2024-08-29. Archived from the original on 2024-08-29. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
  33. ^ a b "Le discret retour de Ségolène Royal dans les rangs du PS". Valeurs actuelles (in French). 2021-07-29. Archived from the original on 2024-08-29. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
  34. ^ "VIDÉO - Ségolène Royal à Matignon ? Sur LCI, l'ancienne ministre se dit "disponible"". TF1 INFO (in French). 2024-08-29. Archived from the original on 2024-08-29. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
  35. ^ "Ségolène Royal se dit "disponible" pour le poste de Première ministre". BFMTV (in French). Archived from the original on 2024-08-29. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
  36. ^ "Nicolas Sarkozy : «La droite doit assumer la responsabilité de gouverner»". Le Figaro (in French). 2024-08-30. Archived from the original on 2024-08-30. Retrieved 2024-08-30.
  37. ^ VIDÉO. LFI lance une procédure de destitution contre Emmanuel Macron (in French). 2024-08-31. Retrieved 2024-08-31 – via www.ouest-france.fr.
  38. ^ "Recherche d'un nouveau gouvernement : La France insoumise lance une procédure de destitution contre Emmanuel Macron". Franceinfo (in French). 2024-08-31. Retrieved 2024-08-31.
  39. ^ "Texte intégral de la Constitution du 4 octobre 1958 en vigueur | Conseil constitutionnel". www.conseil-constitutionnel.fr (in French). Archived from the original on 2024-08-28. Retrieved 2024-08-31.
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