France announces new cabinet, left and right wings voice strong protests

A centrist and conservative cabinet

Following two and a half months of political instability since centrist President Emmanuel Macron's unexpected call for early elections, new Prime Minister Michel Barnier has formed a cabinet that he hopes will garner support from the divided parties in the French Parliament.

With few influential political figures, his team included Conservative Party leader Bruno Retailleau, who was appointed Interior Minister. Meanwhile, the prestigious Finance Minister position was given to Antoine Armand, a relatively unknown 33-year-old from Macron's party.

French Prime Minister Michel Barnier (center) during a visit to Le Bourget du Lac, France, on September 12, 2024. Photo: AFP

The public finance departments, shared with the new Budget Minister Laurent Saint-Martin, will face the daunting task of drafting a budget bill before January, a time when France is struggling to contain its growing budget deficit.

"We must cut public spending and make it more efficient," the new Finance Minister Armand told the Journal du Dimanche in an interview published on Saturday. "If the solution were to raise taxes, France would have long ago been the world's leading superpower."

But despite the addition of 10 politicians from Barnier's conservative Republican Party (LR) to the cabinet, President Macron retained several outgoing ministers in key positions. Only one left-wing politician joined the cabinet, Didier Migaud as Justice Minister.

Jean-Noel Barrot, the outgoing Minister for Europe, has been promoted to Minister of Foreign Affairs. Meanwhile, Sebastien Lecornu will continue as Minister of Defence.

In the July elections, a left-wing bloc called the New Popular Front (NFP) won more seats in parliament than any other political bloc, but it was still not enough to secure a majority.

Macron argued that the left wing would not be able to gather enough support to form a cabinet without it being immediately rejected by Parliament.

Instead, he turned to Barnier to lead a cabinet that relied heavily on parliamentary support from Macron's allies, as well as from the conservative Republican Party (LR) and centrist groups.

"The government of those who lost the general election."

President Macron hoped for a neutral stance from the far right – but National Front (RN) leader Jordan Bardella was quick to condemn the composition of the new cabinet.

He said on Saturday that this marked "the return of Macronism" and therefore "completely without a future". Meanwhile, far-left Jean-Luc Melenchon called the new lineup "the government of the general election losers".

He said France should "dispose" of the cabinet "as soon as possible." Socialist Party president Oliver Faure also criticized Barnier's cabinet as "a reactionary government that disregards democracy."

Even before the announcement, thousands of left-leaning people took to the streets in Paris, Marseille, and elsewhere on Saturday to protest. They were demonstrating against a cabinet they felt did not reflect the results of the parliamentary elections. The new cabinet included no one from within the left-wing NFP bloc.

Mr. Barnier will deliver a key policy speech to parliament on October 1st. Following that, he faces the urgent task of submitting a budget plan to the French National Assembly aimed at controlling France's growing budget deficit and public debt – the first major challenge facing his administration.

France's public sector deficit is projected to reach around 5.6% of GDP this year and exceed six percent by 2025, while EU regulations require a deficit ceiling of 3%.

The first meeting of the new cabinet is scheduled for Monday afternoon.

Hoang Anh (according to France24, Reuters)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/phap-cong-bo-noi-cac-moi-phe-canh-ta-va-canh-huu-len-tieng-phan-doi-du-doi-post313360.html