French President Emmanuel Macron admitted on Tuesday that his decision to call early parliamentary elections in June had created political instability in the country.
It was a rare moment of remorse, Reuters reported. His New Year's speech described a turbulent 2024.
Macron justified his decision to call early elections after a poor European election result by saying he needed to "clarify" the political situation.
But he lost his working majority and needed two months to appoint a minority government, which eventually collapsed in December. This is the first time this has happened in France since 1962.
As a result, France failed to approve a budget for 2025. before the end of the year deadline and Macron was supposed to appoint his fourth prime minister this year, centrist veteran François Bayrou, in December.
Macron also hinted at referendums this year, without giving a specific timeframe for them or specifying what issues would be decided through them.
The French constitution gives the president the power to initiate referendums.
Prime Minister Bayrou expressed hope in February that the country would have an adopted budget.
We recall that France has also been hit by severe natural disasters.
The slow pace of aid and delays in the arrival of clean water have angered residents of Mayotte, France's poorest overseas territory, located between Madagascar and Mozambique, about 8,000 km from the mainland. Some booed President Emmanuel Macron during his visit last week.
François-Noël Buffet, acting minister of France's overseas territories, said he expected a special law to be introduced in early January for the reconstruction of Mayotte.
December 23 was declared a day of mourning in France for the victims in Mayotte.