News
The parliaments of the European Union, France and Germany are facing political challenges, where there was a downgrade of credit ratings and a vote of confidence in the government.
French leaders have struggled to pass a budget in the face of opposition, with the third prime minister in a year picking up the pieces of President Emmanuel Macron’s summer election that saw centrist and centrist parties lose much of their support.
Meanwhile, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz lost a vote of confidence on Monday, paving the way for a February election that will likely oust him. The verdicts on his law so far haven’t been good: “It wasn’t all bad,” it was the best Die Zeit could come up with.
CHARACTERISTICS
The new French prime minister has the same problems as the old prime minister
France’s political climate is defined by conflict, and French newspaper Le Monde says now is the time to “catch up.” President Emmanuel Macron, struggling to hold power, has chosen centrist François Bayrou as his third prime minister of the year, but all the old problems remain: The far right is on the rise, the moderates have lost political acres, and the government is in trouble. Despite that, Marine Le Pen’s National Rally – responsible for overthrowing the last government – may come: After meetings with Bayrou, Le Pen said she felt “heard” by the new leader.
France, Germany are full of economic problems
Germany narrowly missed out on recession this summer, while France has the highest deficit among Eurozone economies, so it’s no surprise that disagreements over their budgets have brought down their governments. Since Germany cannot hold elections until February and France until June 2025, both countries have created a “political vacuum” in Europe, writes Euronews. Unstable leadership could also hamper the bloc’s efforts to deal with disruptive competition and the threat of trade tariffs from China and the US, as well as Russian aggression on its borders.
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