French President Emmanuel Macron intends to make a statement on Wednesday evening, the newspaper “Figaro“ reported, citing its source.
According to the newspaper, the head of state will make the statement after the expiration of the 48-hour deadline he gave to the resigning Prime Minister Sébastien Le Corneille to consult with the political parties on a way out of the current crisis.
The newspaper did not rule out the possibility of discussing the dissolution of the National Assembly (the lower house of the French parliament). This, the newspaper claims, is indicated by Macron's meetings on Tuesday with Senate President Gerard Larcher and National Assembly President Yael Bron-Pivet. Such consultations are required by Article 12 of the French constitution before the dissolution of the lower house.
At the same time, another source in “Figaro“ assured that “these are discussions aimed at finding a balance“.
Lecornu submitted his resignation to Macron amid criticism from the opposition a day after the announcement of the new government, in which 13 of the 18 seats went to members of the previous cabinet. On Monday evening, the Elysee Palace announced that Macron had instructed Lecornu to hold new talks with all political forces by Wednesday, “in order to define a platform for action and for the stability of the country“. If these talks fail, he promised to “take responsibility“ for future decisions, according to media reports citing sources close to the French leader. The Elysee Palace did not explain the exact meaning of the statement.
Amid the crisis in France, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova joked that French leader Emmanuel Macron had been finished off by a “Russian shadow fleet“.
The diplomat drew attention to media reports that Macron intended to make a statement on the evening of October 8.
“Did the Russian “shadow fleet“ finish you off?“, she wrote on her Telegram channel.
Earlier, Macron announced the detention of a tanker off the coast of France, allegedly belonging to the Russian “shadow fleet“, and that French prosecutors had launched an investigation into alleged “gross violations“ by the crew.
Russian President Vladimir Putin called the seizure of the tanker by France "piracy". He claimed that the tanker was seized in neutral waters without any reason.
On October 3, reports emerged that, according to the maritime traffic service, which monitors ship movements, the tanker had resumed its journey.