The decision to call early French parliamentary polls in the summer has caused greater political instability in the country, President Emmanuel Macron acknowledged in his New Year’s Eve address.
“Prudence and humility compel me to recognise that this decision has created more instability than peace at this point in time, and I am fully responsible for this,” Macron said in his New Year’s address on television. Following the poor performance of his centrist camp in the European elections in June, Macron had dissolved parliament in order to “create clarity and prevent the threat of gridlock.” However, this had created more divisions than solutions for the French people, he said.
The early elections, which met with widespread incomprehension and criticism in France, led to a further loss of power for Macron’s camp in parliament. The minority government, which was only formed after two months, was toppled by the opposition in December in a dispute over an austerity budget.
Comprised of mostly conservative and centrist politicians, the new cabinet formed shortly before Christmas is also without a governing majority and must now race to produce a budget for 2025.
