France's Macron vows to finish out term
French President Emmanuel Macron rejected calls to resign and said he will name a new prime minister in the coming days


What happened
French President Emmanuel Macron said Thursday he would name a new prime minister "in the coming days," after the National Assembly forced the resignation of Prime Minister Michel Barnier, and he rejected calls from opposition lawmakers to step down himself to facilitate an end to France's political gridlock.
Who said what
The far-right and leftist blocs in the National Assembly united Wednesday to oust Barnier in a no-confidence vote, making his three-month government the shortest in modern French history. Macron said the opposition parties had formed an "anti-Republican front" that "chose chaos" for their own political gains, adding, "I won't shoulder other people's irresponsibility." He insisted he would finish out his five-year term, which ends in 2027, and defended his decision to call July snap elections that led to his center-right block falling into the minority alongside two other mutually antagonistic blocs.
That "political instability in France — and simultaneously in Germany," where Chancellor Olaf Scholz is "limping along to a confidence vote later this month" after the collapse of his coalition in November — means "caretaker governments will now control two of the continent's most powerful economies," NPR said. That "could have wide-ranging consequences for European security" and "trans-Atlantic relations."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
What next?
Macron pledged to keep the France under current budget rules until the hung parliament can agree to a new budget in 2025. And he pointed to Saturday's grand reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral, saying its rapid reconstruction after a 2019 fire and last summer's Paris Olympics showed that France "can do big things."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
What It Feels Like for a Girl: a 'fearless and compelling' coming-of-age drama
The Week Recommends Ellis Howard dazzles in this 'sharply written' adaptation of Paris Lees' memoir
-
Sports betting is causing athletes to be abused and harassed online
Under the radar Baseball players, tennis stars and others have raised the alarm
-
Crossword: June 4, 2025
The Week's daily crossword
-
Depleted FEMA struggling as hurricane season begins
speed read FEMA has lost a third of its workforce amid DOGE cuts enforced by President Donald Trump
-
White House tackles fake citations in MAHA report
speed read A federal government public health report spearheaded by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was rife with false citations
-
Judge blocks push to bar Harvard foreign students
speed read Judge Allison Burroughs sided with Harvard against the Trump administration's attempt to block the admittance of international students
-
Trump's trade war whipsawed by court rulings
Speed Read A series of court rulings over Trump's tariffs renders the future of US trade policy uncertain
-
Elon Musk departs Trump administration
speed read The former DOGE head says he is ending his government work to spend more time on his companies
-
Trump taps ex-personal lawyer for appeals court
speed read The president has nominated Emil Bove, his former criminal defense lawyer, to be a federal judge
-
US trade court nullifies Trump's biggest tariffs
speed read The US Court of International Trade says Trump exceeded his authority in imposing global tariffs
-
Trump pauses all new foreign student visas
speed read The State Department has stopped scheduling interviews with those seeking student visas in preparation for scrutiny of applicants' social media