Print Magazine
Brussels Morning Newspaper
Tuesday, October 3, 2023
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
    • About Us
  • EU institutions
    • Commission
    • Parliament
    • Council
  • Europe
  • World
  • Economy
  • Culture and Society
  • In Depth
    • Ambassador’s Corner
    • The American Angle
    • Sustainable Perspective
    • Europe With Transparency
    • Place de la Bourse
    • The Macro-Economist
    • Southeast Europe
Brussels Morning Newspaper
  • Home
    • About Us
  • EU institutions
    • Commission
    • Parliament
    • Council
  • Europe
  • World
  • Economy
  • Culture and Society
  • In Depth
    • Ambassador’s Corner
    • The American Angle
    • Sustainable Perspective
    • Europe With Transparency
    • Place de la Bourse
    • The Macro-Economist
    • Southeast Europe
Brussels Morning Newspaper
No Result
View All Result
Home Europe

Macron plans to soldier on with a minority government

Ivan Fischer by Ivan Fischer
5 July 2022
in Europe
Macron moves on emergence of QAnon in France
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Belgium (Brussels Morning Newspaper) French President Emmanuel Macron carried off a limited government reshuffle on Monday, keeping the key ministers of his previous term in place, in an apparent acknowledgment of defeat in trying to gather a working majority in the French Assemblée Nationale.

Speaking to his new government on Monday, Macron urged his ministers to “hang in there”, to be ambitious, and to show a willingness to compromise, as his government will now have to seek opposition support for any bill it introduces to the parliament.

Prior to the meeting, he openly acknowledged he had failed in finding a party willing to enter a coalition with his Ensemble! (Together!) group of lawmakers. “We must acknowledge the refusal of established parties to be part of a government agreement,” said Macron.

While Macron sailed through the presidential elections this year, winning a second term at the Élysée Palace, the French voters denied him a majority in the parliament, returning an unprecedented election result that left the sitting president without majority support in the legislature.

While a left-wing opposition bloc, led by the far-left France Unbowed (LFI), also failed to secure a desired majority in the Assemblée Nationale, the group’s 131 seats in the parliament give it the power to initiate confidence votes against the government and individual ministers. The LFI already announced plans to use that power, saying it would table a no-confidence vote against the entire government on Wednesday.

The move is unlikely to succeed – it would require the backing of nearly all opposition parties, featuring diverse groups ranging from far right to far left, and the center-right Republicans (LR), whose program is close to Macron’s, and who have expressed willingness to cooperate with his government on a bill-to-bill basis, despite rejecting a coalition offer outright.

In his new government, Macron kept his Prime Minister, Élisabeth Borne, and his heavyweight veterans – Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire and Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin, as well as Justice Minister Éric Dupond-Moretti. Prominent junior Europe Minister Clément Beaune, renowned for fighting with Britain over post-Brexit disputes, was moved to the post of Transport Minister, while his former position was given to Laurence Boone.

Former Healthcare Minister Olivier Véran, who saw France through the worst of the coronavirus pandemic, returned as government spokesman, while the most important departure was that of Solidarity Minister Damien Abad, who faced allegations of rape and attempted rape from multiple women in the last weeks. Abad was replaced by French Red Cross head Jean-Cristophe Combe.

Among the first announcements made by Véran on behalf of the new Borne government was that the PM would not seek a vote of confidence after her policy speech later this week – a significant departure from French parliamentary tradition.

Currently operating with a minority government, Macron is sailing the uncharted territory of the French Fifth Republic, which was never faced such a development so far. On rare occasions, a sitting president faced cohabitation with a majority-backed government – the last such case took place in 1997 as Jacques Chirac went to the polls to seek backing for his reform plans and lost the parliamentary elections to the socialist bloc.

France has never in recent history, however, faced a political situation in which there was no clear majority in the parliament, meaning that current developments have no clear precedent and there is no established roadmap for the functioning of the parliament or the government in such a situation.

Tags: Main-SliderPresident Emmanuel Macron
Follow Brussels Morning
Facebook Twitter Youtube Linkedin

About Us

Brussels Morning is a daily online newspaper based in Belgium. BM publishes unique and independent coverage on international and European affairs. With a Europe-wide perspective, BM covers policies and politics of the EU, significant Member State developments, and looks at the international agenda with a European perspective.

More Info

  • About Us
  • Advertising
  • Cookie Policy
  • Contact Us
  • FAQ
  • Jobs

Categories

  • Belgium News
  • Brussels
  • Culture and Society
  • Economy
  • EU Institutions
  • Commission
  • Council
  • Parliament
  • Europe
  • Features
  • Health & Fitness
  • In Depth
  • Ambassador’s Corner
  • Europe With Transparency
  • Place de la Bourse
  • Southeast Europe
  • Sustainable Perspective
  • The American Angle
  • The Macro-Economist
  • Member States
  • Opinion
  • Our pick
  • Uncategorised
  • World
  • Diplomacy
  • Middle East Eye
  • US Elections
  • Join Our Newsletter

    Brussels Morning Newspaper – All Rights Reserved © 2020

    No Result
    View All Result
    • Home
    • About Us
    • Brussels Bubble
      • Parliament
      • Commission
      • Council
    • Wider Europe
      • Member States
    • World
    • Business & Society
    • Europe With Transparency
    • Culture & Society
    • Policy Talks
      • Place de la Bourse
      • The Macro-Economist
      • Sustainable Perspective
      • Ambassador’s Corner
      • The American Angle
      • Southeast Europe
    • Print Magazine

    Brussels Morning Newspaper - All Rights Reserved © 2020

    We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
    Cookie settingsACCEPT
    Privacy & Cookies Policy

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
    Necessary
    Always Enabled
    Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
    Non-necessary
    Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
    SAVE & ACCEPT