The Western press commented this morning on the political crisis in France, after the fifth prime minister in two years, Sébastien Le Corneille, resigned, BTA writes.
"Once again without a prime minister and without a draft budget, French President Emmanuel Macron finds himself in a serious crisis. A crisis that he himself caused, but to which all political parties contributed," writes the French newspaper "Le Monde". "Tragic farce or dramatic comedy?", the publication asks rhetorically. According to "Le Monde" "The play that is being played out at the top of the French state would be almost laughable if it did not show the decline that has marked Macron's second term."
The newspaper points out that "this impasse is Macron's doing".
"His decision to dissolve the National Assembly in June 2024 has plunged the country into permanent instability, giving the once stable Fifth Republic the fragility of the short-lived Fourth Republic," the publication writes.
At the same time, the publication notes that "Macron is no longer the only one responsible for the situation". "With his unprecedented and sudden resignation, triggered by the growing threat of a vote of no confidence, Le Corneille has exposed the entire political class, which has proven incapable of meeting the challenge," the newspaper points out.
The British newspaper "Telegraph" explains that the French president now has three options: "He can resign or try to break the deadlock by calling new early elections for the National Assembly. As a third option, as a last resort, Macron could escalate the situation by invoking Article 16 of the Constitution, which allows him to assume the powers of a Roman dictator at his own discretion. This would be in keeping with his character," the publication writes.
It recalls that "President Charles de Gaulle resorted to "full powers" in 1961 after the Algerian revolt organized by former army officers. He then continued to exercise them for almost six months, issuing warnings of a communist "revolution from within".
The American newspaper "New York Times" wrote that "Sébastien Lecornu, who resigned after just 28 days as prime minister, had promised to end the series of short-lived governments, but he himself has become the embodiment of Macron's continued stubbornness".
"We are dancing on the ruins of our institutions", says Alain Duhamel, a well-known political analyst and author. "If Macron resigns, it will be the death of the Fifth Republic", he adds.
According to the "New York Times" Few people expect the French president to resign, and he is not obligated to do so, but he is now forced to choose the lesser of two evils.
"We have already exhausted the options for forming a stable government in this parliament", said Anne-Charlene Bezina, a law professor at the University of Rouen, in an interview. "So the best solution is to call elections and dissolve parliament, which will at least clarify the will of the people", she added.
The European edition of the magazine "Politico" commented that "as the crisis continues, faith in Macron's ability to pull a solution to France's problems out of his hat is waning, and the president is clearly losing the support of some of his former allies, in particular three of his former prime ministers." However, the publication said the election was also a "risky move that would likely weaken his centrist party and strengthen the far-right National Rally."
"I think he still has one card to play," said Bruno Jeanbard, a pollster at OpinionWay. "He could nominate someone from the Socialist Party and let them form a government," he added.
However, Politico notes that "even if France gets a new prime minister by the end of the week, there is still no clear way out of the predicament."
The German newspaper Handelsblatt writes that "despite strong French institutions, where majority rule prevails, and a strong presidency, France is showing that democracy is difficult to implement under the pressure of polarization, distrust, and social division."
"The formal stability of the system cannot protect us from fragmentation in society: on the one hand the elite, and on the other the socially weak. And none of the factions in the National Assembly seem inclined to change their positions," the German publication comments.