Western editions are commenting today on the fall of the French government after opposition MPs yesterday voted a vote of no confidence and removed him from power after only three months in power.
French lawmakers voted no-confidence against Prime Minister Michel Barnier and his cabinet, sparking fresh political turmoil that leaves France without a clear path to adopting a new budget and threatens to shake up financial markets even more, the US newspaper "New York Times". The center-right Barnier is the most obvious victim of polarized politics in France, commented the publication.
One thing was clear before the vote of no confidence: it risks unleashing a new wave of disaster in one of Europe's leading economies, the paper said. There is a danger that this will usher in a "new period of instability," he told the New York Times. The Union of Small and Medium Enterprises, which represents the majority of French companies.
"If France is without a budget, this will open the door to a debt crisis, the consequences of which will seriously affect the economy,", the organization added.
Yesterday's vote shows how the second largest economy in the Eurozone risks becoming ungovernable, writes the newspaper "Wall Street Journal" and adds that the growing fragmentation and polarization of France's political ranks is testing the foundations of its democracy. The publication also recalls the last time a government in France was overthrown in this way – in 1962, when the country had to deal with the consequences of the Algerian War of Independence and the assassination of then-President Charles de Gaulle.
"Europe is once again on the brink of financial Armageddon" - writes the British newspaper "Telegraph" in the headline.
The publication commented that according to many sources close to the head of state, he should appoint his sixth prime minister in the last seven years by this weekend at the latest, given the opening ceremony of the cathedral "Notre Dame" on Sunday evening, which will be attended by over 50 leaders from around the world.
"It would be extremely embarrassing and exposing for France not to have a prime minister during such an important diplomatic weekend," one of the sources told the British edition.
How they rejoiced when there was chaos in Great Britain after the vote for Brexit, commented Jeremy Warner of "Telegraph". "Now things have turned around and once again the Eurozone, and France in particular, is in the crosshairs. Britain, on the contrary, looks like an island of stability and relatively common sense", the journalist also believes.
The French newspaper "Mond" points out that the situation in the markets is now tense and France is preparing for strikes in the public sector because of the threat of cuts that will lead to school closures and affect air and rail transport.
France is plunged into a deep political crisis, commented the German magazine "Spiegel".
Forming a government is likely to be difficult again, the weekly adds, and specifies that Macron's alternative is to appoint an expert government that will take office without a political program.
The magazine makes reference to the situation in Germany, where the ruling coalition has also collapsed over a problem with the draft budget for next year. The other possibility that "Spiegel" allows, is to propose a budget only for the beginning of the year through extraordinary legislation. The new government will then have to try to push a regular budget through parliament, but as parliament is highly fragmented, this is also likely to be very difficult. Then the next vote of no confidence will be inevitable, writes the German magazine.
The European publication "Politico" writes that the growing political and economic crisis in France risks sending shock waves throughout the eurozone.
The political upheaval could hardly come at a more inopportune time for Europe, which is in dire need of leadership to tackle a variety of challenges – from the return of Donald Trump to the conflict in Ukraine and a potential trade war with China, Politico writes. The publication added that Germany, the other half of the engine that drives the continent, is ill-equipped to take the driver's seat as it grapples with its own political problems and a faltering economy.