Macron urged to disband National Assembly should censorship recur, as per Barnier's opinion
France's political landscape is still reeling from the consequences of President Emmanuel Macron's bold move to dissolve the National Assembly in June 2024. This significant decision was triggered by his party's defeat in the 2024 European elections, where they lost ground to the far-right Rassemblement National (RN).
The dissolution was a high-stakes gamble, aimed at reshuffling the fractured parliament following Macron's 2022 re-election, where he lost his previous absolute majority. The snap parliamentary elections in July 2024 were supposed to strengthen his government's position, but the move backfired spectacularly, leaving France without a functioning government for months and plunged into an acute budget crisis.
Michel Barnier, the former Prime Minister, believes that Macron might once again dissolve the National Assembly if the government of François Bayrou is censured. In an interview with Le Figaro, Barnier stated, "If this government were to fall, we would have to go back to the people." Bayrou has already survived several motions of censure and will face a new one from the socialists next week, with the PS accusing him of neglecting to put the question of the legal age of departure to retirement on the parliamentary agenda.
Barnier, who was ousted from his own government in the fall of 2024 due to a censure motion, expressed his frustration with the irresponsible attitude of the Socialist Party. He urged political parties to be more responsible and avoid causing instability, as he had experienced the constraints and the cost of instability during his tenure as the President of the National Council of Republicans.
The political landscape in France is currently marked by the weakening of the traditional cross-party cooperation known as the "republican front", which had previously been a key feature of French politics and aimed at blocking far-right advances. In the absence of stable majority coalitions, voters are dissatisfied with the lack of effective governance and the influence of far-right parties in the political arena.
While there is no direct evidence of a formal censure of François Bayrou's government or active involvement of Michel Barnier in this political crisis, the future of the French political landscape remains uncertain and fraught with challenges. President Macron retains the power to dissolve the National Assembly again, though he has expressed a preference not to use this power unless necessary.
Other political parties are wary of the potential consequences of another dissolution of the National Assembly, as it has plunged France into an acute budget crisis in the past. The policy-and-legislation agenda, including the question of the legal age of departure to retirement, is at stake in the ongoing politics of France, with the general news focusing on the instability caused by repeated censure motions.
