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PARIS: Emmanuel Macron’s first prime minister on Tuesday urged the cornered French head of state to resign in a shock call that compounded an escalating political crisis.
The intervention by Edouard Philippe, Macron’s longest-serving prime minister from 2017 to 2020 and who now heads an allied political party, came as frustration grew even within the president’s own camp over the biggest domestic political crisis of his eight years in office.
Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu, appointed less than a month ago, stepped down on Monday morning after failing to rally support across the center-right coalition for his new government, which is also only supported by a minority in parliament.
Macron ordered him to make a last-ditch effort to rally support for a coalition government but there was no sign of progress with the far-right refusing to even attend a meeting.
France’s next presidential elections are scheduled to take place in 2027 and are seen as a historic crossroads in French politics, with the French far right under Marine Le Pen sensing its best chance yet of taking power.
Macron is constitutionally barred from seeking a third mandate.
Philippe, who has already declared he will stand, said the polls should be held early once a budget is passed, in comments Le Parisien daily described as “political bomb.”
Denouncing a “distressing political game,” he said it was up to Macron to help France “emerge in an orderly and dignified manner from a political crisis that is harming the country.”
“He must take the decision that is worthy of his function, which is to guarantee the continuity of the institutions by leaving in an orderly manner,” Philippe told the RTL broadcaster.
France has been locked in a political crisis since Macron’s gamble to hold legislative elections in the summer of 2024 backfired and resulted in a hung parliament and a strengthened far right.
In a scathing editorial, the Le Monde daily said the crisis was “yet another demonstration of the unraveling” of Macron’s second mandate following his win in 2022 presidential elections.
“The president finds himself in a major crisis,” it said.
The domestic isolation of the president, who was filmed Monday walking alone by the banks of the Seine deep in a telephone conversation, contrasts with his clout on the international stage where he is seeking to end Russia’s war on Ukraine alongside President Donald Trump.
Among other options, Macron could reappoint Lecornu, select a person who would be the eighth prime minister of his mandate, or hold new legislative elections.
Gabriel Attal, whose brief tenure as France’s youngest-ever premier was ended by Macron’s decision to hold the 2024 snap elections, on Monday evening said: “I no longer understand the president’s decisions.”
After a succession of new premiers, it was “time to try something else,” Attal, who now leads the main pro-Macron party, told the TF1 broadcaster, denouncing a “determination to keep control” by Macron.
Attal on Tuesday, however, told his lawmakers that he did not want Macron to resign, according to a participant at the meeting who asked not to be named.
Lecornu meanwhile started meeting party leaders at the prime minister’s office in an attempt to breach the impasse.
Socialist party leader Olivier Faure late Monday called for “a change of course” with a “left-wing government.”
Bruno Retailleau, leader of the right-wing Republicans and outgoing interior minister, said he was not against remaining in a cabinet with Macron’s centrists as long as it did not mean fewer members from his party.
The next premier will face the challenge of finding enough support for an austerity budget at a time when France’s public debt has reached a record high.
Le Pen, whose candidacy in the presidential elections is in severe doubt due to a fraud conviction, said it would be “wise” for Macron to resign but also urged snap legislative polls as “absolutely necessary.”
Le Pen and her lieutenant Jordan Bardella, who is expected to stand for the presidency if she is blocked, turned down Lecornu’s invitation for talks, their National Rally party said.
“These umpteenth negotiations no longer aim to protect the interests of the French people, but those of the president himself,” it said.