Emmanuel Macron. Photo: Jacovides Dominique-Pool / Abaca Press / Profimedia
Four days before the probable fall of the government of the French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou, almost two thirds of the French questioned in a survey said they want to resign President Emmanuel Macron, AFP reports on Thursday.
According to the survey conducted by the Odoxa-Backbone Institute for the Conservative daily Le Figaro, 64% of the respondents said they want to organize anticipated presidential elections and choose a new president, rather than appointing a fifth prime minister in less than two years.
Survey: Emmanuel Macron, at the lowest level of popularity. The President of France, more impoverish than during the revolt of yellow vests
Also, 56% of those questioned demand a new dissolution of the Parliament and anticipated legislative elections for leaving the political crisis, a crisis amplified by an economic one following the increase of the budget deficit that the French government seeks to reduce through an unpopular plan of austerity.
In another survey, conducted by the Verian Institute for Le Figaro, only 15% of the French say they still trust President Macron, who on Thursday hosted a new meeting of the countries that support Ukraine in the “Coalition of will”.
The Bayrou government, on the verge of dismissal
Prime Minister Francois Bayrou will be presented on Monday in front of the National Assembly (Lower House of Parliament) for a vote of confidence towards his plan of budget austerity. If he does not get this vote of confidence, a scenario probably considering that the centralists, that is, the progressive “Renaissance” formation of rather liberal orientation of President Macron, and the right do not have the absolute majority in the legislative, the Government will have to resign after only nine months of mandate.
Among the options that, in this case, President Macron would have on the basis of his constitutional prerogatives are the designation of another prime minister, who in turn will have difficulty in the vote of trust, or to convene early legislative elections, as he did in June 2024 after the Failure of the Presidential Party at the Europarlamental elections.
Another option, supported by the far right of Marine Le Pen and the left opposition, is Macron himself to resign and thus convened presidential elections, two years before the term elections.
With a budget deficit forecast for the current year at 5.4% of GDP, France needs austerity measures and the Paris government estimates that, through the budget adjustment plan of 44 billion euros, this deficit will go down to 4.6% of GDP, on a trajectory that will allow in 2029 a deficit of 2.8% of GDP The EU's stability and growth pact.
