2 weeks ago
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French President Emmanuel Macron has rejected calls to stand down amid a political crisis that has seen his prime minister ousted in a no-confidence vote.
In an address following Michel Barnier's resignation, Macron said that his mandate was one of five years that he would see through to the end.
Macron did not name a replacement for Barnier and said an announcement of the new prime ministerial appointment would be made in the coming days.
He said that France could not have new parliamentary elections for 10 months, following the snap polls back in July.
Barnier's government collapsed after MPs voted overwhelmingly in support of the motion against him, just three months after he was appointed by Macron.
The vote to remove Barnier was the first time a French government had been voted down by parliament in more than 60 years, a move that Macron on Thursday night labelled "unprecedented".
He thanked Barnier for his "dedication" and "unwillingness to give up" during his brief term, but that he would not be resigning.
"The mandate you entrusted in me democratically is one of five years and I will see it through to the end," he said.
Macron accused the French far right and hard left of collaborating in an "anti-republican front".
Addressing voters directly, he said that some of his political opponents had chosen "chaos" and that they were not thinking "about you, the voters", suggesting that their interest was the next presidential elections.
The French government said that Barnier would remain in office on a caretaker basis with his ministers until a new government was appointed.
Names for a new prime minister have been swirling, including Defence Minister Sébastien Lecornu, Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau and centrist former presidential candidate François Bayrou.
Macron added that the country could not afford to be "static", that he would announce a new prime minister within the coming days and the immediate focus for the government would be the budget for 2025.
