French President Emmanuel Macron is seeking a fast turnaround after the fall of the government with the appointment of a new prime minister.
“We can afford neither division nor stagnation,” Macron said in an address to the nation on Thursday evening. “That is why I will appoint a prime minister in the next few days.”
He will be tasked with “forming a government of general interest” that represents all political forces willing to participate or at least commit to not bringing it down with another vote of no confidence, Macron said.
The new prime minister’s priority will be the budget for the coming year, Macron said.
A special law would be introduced in parliament by mid-December to bridge the gap until the overdue budget is passed at the beginning of next year, Macron said.
French President Emmanuel Macron is seen on monitors in the control room at AFP headquarters as he addresses the nation from the Elysee Palace. Macron’s televised speech comes in response to the collapse of Prime Minister Michel Barnier’s minority government. Ludovic Marin/AFP/dpa
