France: Macron plans to quickly appoint a new prime minister if the government falls

 

French President Emmanuel Macron plans to quickly appoint a new prime minister if his government collapses today in a vote of no confidence, three sources told Reuters, as the National Assembly debates the impeachment motions brought against the government by the left and the far right. Barnier, with the vote expected later in the evening. The impeachment motion is seen as almost certain to be upvoted, causing the government to collapse.

One of the sources said Macron hopes to have someone in the prime minister post as soon as possible on Saturday, when more than fifty invited heads of state and government, including US President-elect Donald Trump, will be in Paris for the opening ceremony from of the new Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris.

"Nothing has been decided," the Elysee said in response to a request for comment.

Macron has not yet settled on a prime minister, the sources said, but the list appears to include Bernard Cazeneuve, Xavier Bertrand and Armed Forces Minister Sébastien Lecorny.

The president is working on a name upon his return to Paris from a trip to Saudi Arabia, a source said.

The censure motions were filed after the centre-right prime minister, Michel Barnier, decided to invoke Article 49.3 of the Constitution, which provides for the approval of a bill without a vote in the National Assembly, in order to approve spending on the social security system as part of his state budget. 2025.