Macron refuses to resign as he unveils his latest cabinet

President under pressure as his country faces constitutional crisis but he insists he has 'to serve, to serve, and to serve'

- ALESSANDRO PARODI

Emmanuel Macron rejected calls to resign and blasted his opponents yesterday, as his latest government was threatened by two no-confidence motions that could bring it down by the end of the week.

France is in the midst of its worst political crisis in decades as a succession of minority governments seek to push deficit-reducing budgets through a truculent legislature split into three distinct ideological blocs.

Mr Macron has burned through five prime ministers in less than two years, and many of his rivals have said the only way out of the crisis is for the president to call fresh legislative elections or resign, both of which he has refused to do.

Shortly after arriving in Egypt yesterday to attend a meeting to end the war in Gaza, Mr Macron was defiant, blaming his rivals for destabilising France and saying he had no plans to step down before his second and final term ends in 2027.

“I ensure continuity and stability, and I will continue to do so,” he said, urging people not to forget that the mandate given to the president means “to serve, to serve, and to serve”.