French President Macron admits his decision for early elections in June led to political instability, taking full responsibility for the consequences and calling for greater European independence.
French President Emmanuel Macron acknowledged that his decision to call early parliamentary elections in June had created more political instability in France.
The speech concluded a turbulent 2024 for Macron, who shocked the country by calling for early elections midway through the year. This move backfired when the elections resulted in a hung parliament, with a substantial increase in far-right lawmakers, which weakened Macron’s influence.
"Lucidity and humility force (me) to recognize that at this stage, this decision has produced more instability than peace, and I fully own up to that," Macron said in a televised address ahead of the New Year celebrations.
"The dissolution caused more divisions in the Assembly than solutions for the French people," he added, marking his most direct acknowledgment of the consequences of the elections.
Macron had justified the early elections by pointing to a poor result in the European elections, arguing that they were necessary to "clarify" the political landscape. However, this gamble resulted in the loss of his parliamentary majority, and it took him two months to appoint a minority government, which collapsed in December—the first such collapse in France since 1962.
This failure led to France not passing the 2025 budget by the year-end deadline, and Macron had to appoint his fourth prime minister of the year, centrist veteran Francois Bayrou, in December.
Macron also hinted at the possibility of holding referendums in the coming year, though he did not explicitly mention them. He stated he would ask the French people to decide on "decisive" issues, but did not specify which ones.
The French constitution allows the president to initiate referendums.
Macron also referenced "citizen conventions," gatherings of randomly chosen citizens that lack binding power, which he has previously used to address issues like the yellow vest protests.
Finally, Macron called for greater European independence, emphasizing that the European Union could no longer depend on other powers for its security and defense, and must reject external trade laws.
Russian President Vladimir Putin will travel to China next week for talks with President Xi Jinping, to attend a regional security summit, and to appe...
U.S. President Donald Trump has cancelled Secret Service protection for Democratic Presidential candidate and former Vice President, Kamala Harris acc...
Georgia’s ruling party is pointing to recent remarks by former USAID Administrator Samantha Power as evidence that U.S. aid programs are used to inf...
The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that Afghanistan is facing a worsening humanitarian and health crisis in 2025, with millions of returni...
A woman pinned beneath concrete, a man with a badly broken leg, a child trapped under the rubble....
Britain, France and Germany are likely to trigger United Nations sanctions on Iran on Thursday over its nuclear programme according to sources, while giving Tehran 30 days to make commitments. Inspectors have returned for the first time since June, as talks have yet to yield concrete agreements.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for the 28th of August, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Business leaders in France have expressed concern over the economic impact of the ongoing crisis in government triggering fears of a recession.
France’s minority government looks increasingly likely to be ousted next month after three main opposition parties said they would not back a confidence vote which Prime Minister François Bayrou announced for 8 September over his plans for sweeping €44 billion budget cuts.
A powerful eruption at Japan’s Shinmoedake volcano sent an ash plume more than 3,000 metres high on Sunday morning, prompting safety warnings from authorities.
According to the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), a magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck the Oaxaca region of Mexico on Saturday.
The UK is gearing up for Exercise Pegasus 2025, its largest pandemic readiness test since COVID-19. Running from September to November, this full-scale simulation will challenge the country's response to a fast-moving respiratory outbreak.
A Polish Air Force pilot was killed on Thursday when an F-16 fighter jet crashed during a training flight ahead of the 2025 Radom International Air Show.
Russian President Vladimir Putin will travel to China next week for talks with President Xi Jinping, to attend a regional security summit, and to appear as Xi’s “main guest” at a military parade on Beijing’s Tiananmen Square, the Kremlin announced on Friday.
U.S. President Donald Trump has cancelled Secret Service protection for Democratic Presidential candidate and former Vice President, Kamala Harris according to a senior White House official.
Georgia’s ruling party is pointing to recent remarks by former USAID Administrator Samantha Power as evidence that U.S. aid programs are used to influence political regimes abroad. The comments, made during a prank interview, have fueled debate in Tbilisi over sovereignty, NGOs, and foreign funding.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that Afghanistan is facing a worsening humanitarian and health crisis in 2025, with millions of returning refugees expected to stretch the country’s already fragile health system.
A woman pinned beneath concrete, a man with a badly broken leg, a child trapped under the rubble.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment