President Emmanuel Macron is to name a new prime minister on Friday, aides said, after days of deadlock over finding a candidate to replace Michel Barnier whose ousting by parliament pushed France into a fresh crisis. Barnier was toppled in a historic no-confidence vote on December 4 and there had been expectations Macron would announce his successor in an address to the nation even a day later. But in a sign of the stalemate in French politics after inconclusive legislative elections this summer, he did not name his successor then and has now missed a 48-hour deadline he gave at a meeting meeting of party leaders on Tuesday. On Thursday, Macron left France on a day-long trip to key EU and NATO ally Poland but shortened the visit in an apparent bid to finalise the appointment. "The statement naming the prime minister will be published tomorrow (Friday) morning," said an aide to to the president, asking not to be named, late Thursday just after Macron touched down from the trip to Poland. "He is finishing his consultations," the aide added, without giving further details. Whoever is named will be the sixth prime minister of Macron's mandate after the toppling of Barnier, who lasted only three months, and faces an immediate challenge in thrashing out a budget to pass parliament. Each premier under Macron has served successively less time in office and there is no guarantee for the new premier that they will not follow this pattern. Macron remains confronted with the complex political equation that emerged from the snap parliamentary polls -- how to secure a government against a no-confidence vote in a bitterly divided lower house where no party or alliance has a majority. All the candidates widely floated so far have encountered objections from at least one side of the political spectrum. "They are stuck," said a person close to Macron, asking not to be named and lamenting that "each name gets blocked." "No one is in agreement around the president," added the source, expressing hope Macron will surprise everyone with an unexpected choice. Macron's rumoured top pick, veteran centrist Francois Bayrou, raises hackles on the left -- wary of continuing the president's policies -- and on the right, where he is disliked by influential former president Nicolas Sarkozy. Beyond Bayrou, prime ministerial contenders include former Socialist prime minister Bernard Cazeneuve, current Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu, a Macron loyalist, and former foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian. Another name being discussed in the media is Roland Lescure, a former industry minister, but the nomination of the former Socialist risks inflaming the right. These "are names that have been around for years and haven't seduced the French. It's the past. I want us to look to the future," Greens leader Marine Tondelier said. "The French public want a bit of enthusiasm, momentum, fresh wind, something new," she told France 2 television. Polls indicate the public is fed up with the crisis. Just over two-thirds of respondents to one Elabe poll published on Wednesday said they want politicians to reach a deal not to overthrow a new government. But confidence is limited, with around the same number saying they did not believe the political class could reach agreement. In a separate IFOP poll, far-right National Rally (RN) figurehead Marine Le Pen was credited with 35 percent support in the first round of a future presidential election -- well ahead of any likely opponent. She has said she is "not unhappy" that her far-right party was left out of the horse-trading around the government, appearing for now to benefit from the chaos rather than suffer blame for bringing last week's no-confidence vote over the line. In a critical looming moment, Le Pen on March 31, 2025 faces the verdict in an embezzlement trial on charges she denies. If convicted, she could lose the chance of standing in the 2027 elections and with it her best chance yet of winning the Elysee. burs-tgb-sjw/rlpLetter of the week: Critical for society to address the challenges that maids face
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Calgary Liberal MP George Chahal has publicly released letters he sent to the Liberal caucus and president of the Liberal Party of Canada, calling on them to begin the process of moving on from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. The Calgary Skyview representative posted the letters to the social media platform X on Friday. Chahal’s letter to caucus said, “Prime Minister Justin Trudeau no longer has the support of caucus and to maintain some dignity, he should immediately tender his resignation.” He noted Chrystia Freeland’s recent and vocal walking away from her roles as finance minister and deputy prime minister. He also noted others speaking out since. Chahal went on to say, “Caucus working with the Liberal Party of Canada board should start the immediate process of scheduling an expedited leadership process which is transparent and democratic.” Chahal’s letter to party president Sachit Mehra opened with, “Time is of the essence!” He urged the party board to “immediately plan for a leadership (race) regardless of the prime minister’s formal resignation.” He noted it being the final year before a fixed election date. He also noted the potential for other parties to rally to defeat the government. “It is my view that it would be political negligence by the LPC board not to plan for the race,” Chahal wrote. “It is clear now the leader of the Liberal Party no longer has the confidence of his parliamentary caucus and the vast majority of Canadians.” In the letter to caucus, Chahal did thank Trudeau for his service and wished him well. “Unfortunately, it has come to this,” he wrote. Tipping point Mount Royal University political scientist Duane Bratt said Chahal was part of a growing chorus of Liberal caucus members joining the bandwagon to dump Trudeau. “Forget surviving a non-confidence vote in Parliament,” Bratt said. “I don’t know if he will be able to survive a non-confidence vote in caucus.” Bratt said the resignation of Freeland from caucus may have been the tipping point, but it was also part of a pattern of Liberal MPs distancing themselves from Trudeau. He added that it appears the party is moving forward in the absence of an official resignation from Trudeau and begun to put in motion plans for a leadership race. On Friday, former chief adviser and close friend of Justin Trudeau Gerald Butts wrote in a Substack column that Chrystia Freeland’s resignation from cabinet was a “staggering blow” to Trudeau. He wrote that the Liberals are back now to where they were before Trudeau took over the party in 2013, in terms of their popularity and voters viewing them as out-of-touch. He said in his Substack piece that the party should prepare to hold a leadership race. With files from The Canadian PressCopy link Copied Copy link Copied Subscribe to gift this article Gift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe. Already a subscriber? Login Airtree Ventures and a string of prominent entrepreneurs have poured $22 million into Askable, a low-profile Brisbane start-up that sells market research software to major brands, valuing it at $100 million. It is the first capital raising for the seven-year-old company – which counts Afterpay, Canva, Atlassian, Pizza Hut, Toyota and 7-Eleven as clients – allowing it to conduct more market research for customers. Copy link Copied Copy link Copied Subscribe to gift this article Gift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe. Already a subscriber? Login Introducing your Newsfeed Follow the topics, people and companies that matter to you. Latest In Technology Fetching latest articles Most Viewed In Technology
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