French President Emmanuel Macron said he will name a new prime minister “in the coming days”, after Michel Barnier was ousted in a no-confidence vote in parliament on Wednesday.
He rejected calls to stand down in the wake of the government’s collapse, saying he would see his five-year mandate through until it ends in 2027.
In a televised address, Macron said France could not have new parliamentary elections for 10 months, following the snap polls back in July.
Barnier’s government collapsed after MPs voted overwhelmingly in support of the motion against him, just three months after he was appointed by Macron.
The vote to remove Barnier was the first time a French government had been voted down by parliament in more than 60 years, a move Macron labelled “unprecedented”.
He thanked Barnier for his “dedication” and “unwillingness to give up” during his brief term.
Macron accused the French far right and hard left of collaborating in an “anti-republican front”.
Addressing voters directly, he said that some of his political opponents had chosen “chaos” and were not thinking “about you, the voters”, suggesting that their interest was in the next presidential elections.
Barnier is set to remain in office on a caretaker basis with his ministers until a new government is appointed.
Names for a new prime minister have been swirling, including Defence Minister Sébastien Lecornu, Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau and centrist former presidential candidate François Bayrou.
Macron said France could not afford to be “static”, and that the immediate focus for the new government would be the budget for 2025.
