French PM urges end to ‘ridiculous spectacle’ as budget deadline looms
By Gabriel Stargardter and Mathieu Rosemain
PARIS (Reuters) – Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu, who was reappointed on Saturday, called on France’s political parties to work together to put an end to the “ridiculous spectacle” seen in recent days, as he faces a Monday deadline to present the budget.
President Emmanuel Macron’s decision to reappoint Lecornu has angered some of his fiercest opponents, who argue that the only way out of France’s worst political crisis in decades is for the president to either call a new parliamentary election or resign.
Lecornu criticized the political deadlock gripping the country. “What is ridiculous is the spectacle that the entire political world has been putting on for several days,” he said.
BUDGET APPROVAL STILL FACES MAJOR OBSTACLES
The Prime Minister called on political parties to overcome their differences and pass a budget by the end of the year; this was an important step in containing France’s widening fiscal deficit.
“I set a pretty clear mission for myself and then either the political forces will help me and we will work together to achieve it, or they won’t,” Lecornu said. he said.
“It’s about how do we make sure that there is a social security budget, a state budget, on December 31st.”
Asked about the possibility of suspending Macron’s pension reforms, Lecornu said “all discussions are possible as long as they are realistic”, pointing to potential flexibility on a key demand from left-wing parties.
Macron reappointed his staunch supporter late Friday, just days after Lecornu resigned from office, saying it was not possible to form a government capable of pushing a weakened budget bill through a deeply divided parliament.
Lecornu’s 27 days in office made him the shortest-serving prime minister in modern French history, but there is no guarantee he will stay in office longer this time.
Left, far-left and far-right parties have all said they will vote to oust Lecornu, leaving him dependent on the Socialists, whose leaders have so far been silent about their plans.
Lecornu’s inbox is pressing.
PENSION REFORM A RED LINE
He must submit a draft budget bill by Monday; first to the cabinet and then to the parliament on the same day. This means that at least ministers responsible for finance, budget and social security must be appointed by that date.
Neither the Elysee Palace nor Lecornu’s office gave any direct information about when Matignon might name his cabinet or who might be in it.
The right-wing Les Republicains party and the centrist UDI, which were in previous governments formed after last year’s early elections, said in separate statements on Saturday that they would not join the new cabinet led by Lecornu.
But both parties have pledged to support key pieces of legislation under certain conditions.
LR’s governing body confirmed that “the confidence and conditions do not exist” to take part in government. But he still added that its members “will be responsible and will not be architects of chaos.”
Pension reform remains an important red line, with former Prime Minister Michel Barnier, a member of the LR, expressing his opposition to any suspension of the measure.
LECORNU AIMS TO CUT THE DEFICIT
In an X post on Friday, Lecornu said whoever joins his government will have to abandon personal goals of replacing Macron in 2027; It’s a looming contest that is injecting instability into France’s weak minority governments and fractious legislature. He promised a cabinet of “regeneration and diversity”.
Lecornu did not reveal any details about what was in the draft budget, but after his resignation he said that the deficit should be reduced to between 4.7% and 5% of economic output next year; This is a larger gap than the 4.6% targeted by its predecessor. This year the budget deficit is expected to be 5.4%.
It remains to be seen what Macron will do about repealing the pension reform and adding a wealth tax on billionaires; these are two measures the Socialists paid to support his government.
(Reporting by Gabriel Stargardter and Mathieu Rosemain; additional reporting by Zhifan Liu. Editing by Toby Chopra and Alex Richardson)
