A Republic at RISK

With leadership in flux, debt soaring, and far-right populism gaining strength, France's crisis could reshape both its domestic stability and the European Union's future

- DIPANKAR DEY

France - the second-largest economy in the European Union (EU) - is in a deep political crisis. On October 6, French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu resigned after appointing his new cabinet, plunging France straight back into the political crisis it has been stuck in since 2022. According to Reuters, French President Emmanuel Macron now faces three unpleasant options.

Firstly, he could name a new prime minister. A figure from within his own centrist Renaissance (RE) party appears unlikely, and Macron has been unwilling to name a leftist, as they want to dilute his hard-won pension reform. In April 2023, Macron signed into law his government's highly unpopular pension reforms, which raised the state pension age from 62 to 64. Moreover, he fears that a left-leaning figure would also irritate France's right-wingers, who want more emphasis on law and order, immigration, and austerity. Macron could dissolve parliament and call fresh legislative elections - a move he has said he is unwilling to do and which could potentially lead to a far-right National Rally (RN) government if it were to win a majority. His final option - and one he has repeatedly rejected - is to resign. It's unclear who might win a presidential vote, but polls suggest the RN stands a good chance of victory.