France’s Macron keeps prime minister in place for “stability of the country” after chaotic election

France’s Macron keeps prime minister in place for “stability of the country” after chaotic election
French voters split the legislature on the left, center and far-right, leaving no faction even close to the majority needed to form a government. (AFP)
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Updated 08 July 2024
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France’s Macron keeps prime minister in place for “stability of the country” after chaotic election

France’s Macron keeps prime minister in place for “stability of the country” after chaotic election
  • French voters split the legislature on the left, center and far-right, leaving no faction even close to the majority needed to form a government
  • The results from Sunday’s vote raised the risk of paralysis for the European Union’s second-largest economy

PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron refused the resignation of the country’s prime minister, asking him on Monday to remain temporarily as the head of the government after chaotic election results left the government in limbo.
French voters split the legislature on the left, center and far right, leaving no faction even close to the majority needed to form a government. The results from Sunday’s vote raised the risk of paralysis for the European Union’s second-largest economy.
Macron gambled that his decision to call snap elections would give France a “moment of clarification,” but the outcome showed the opposite, less than three weeks before the start of the Paris Olympics, when the country will be under an international spotlight.
France’s main share index opened with a dip, but quickly recovered, possibly because markets had feared an outright victory for the far right or the leftist coalition.
Prime Minister Gabriel Attal had said he would remain in office if needed but offered his resignation Monday morning. Macron, who named him just seven months ago, immediately asked him to stay on “to ensure the stability of the country.” Macron’s top political allies joined the meeting with Attal at the presidential palace, which ended after about 90 minutes.
Attal on Sunday made clear that he disagreed with Macron’s decision to call the surprise elections. The results of two rounds of voting left no obvious path to form a government for either the leftist coalition that came in first, Macron’s centrist alliance, or the far right.
Newly elected and returning lawmakers were expected to gather at the National Assembly to begin negotiations in earnest.
Macron himself will leave midweek for a NATO summit in Washington.
Political deadlock could have far-ranging implications for the war in Ukraine, global diplomacy and Europe’s economic stability. Still, at least one leader said the results were a relief.
“In Paris enthusiasm, in Moscow disappointment, in Kyiv relief. Enough to be happy in Warsaw,” Prime Minister Donald Tusk, a former European Union Council head, wrote late Sunday on X.
According to official results released early Monday, all three main blocs fell far short of the 289 seats needed to control the 577-seat National Assembly, the more powerful of France’s two legislative chambers.
The results showed just over 180 seats for the New Popular Front leftist coalition, which placed first, ahead of Macron’s centrist alliance, with more than 160 seats. Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally and its allies were restricted to third place, although their more than 140 seats were still way ahead of the party’s previous best showing of 89 seats in 2022.
Macron has three years remaining on his presidential term.
Rather than rallying behind Macron as he’d hoped, millions took the vote as an opportunity to vent anger about inflation, crime, immigration and other grievances — including his style of government.
The New Popular Front’s leaders immediately pushed Macron to give them the first chance to form a government and propose a prime minister. The faction pledges to roll back many of Macron’s headline reforms, embark on a costly program of public spending, and take a tougher line against Israel because of its war with Hamas. But it’s not clear, even among the left, who could lead the government without alienating crucial allies.
“We need someone who offers consensus,” said Olivier Faure, head of the Socialist Party, which joined the leftist coalition and was still sorting out how many seats it won on Monday.
Macron warns that the left’s economic program of many tens of billions of euros in public spending, partly financed by taxes on wealth and hikes for high earners, could be ruinous for France, already criticized by EU watchdogs for its debt.
A hung parliament is unknown territory for modern France and many people reacted with a mix of relief and apprehension.
“What pollsters and the press were telling us made me very nervous so it’s a huge relief. Big expectations as well,” said Nadine Dupuis, a 60-year-old legal secretary in Paris. “What’s going to happen? How are they going to govern this country?”
The political agreement between the left and center to block the National Rally was largely successful. Many voters decided that keeping the far right from power was more important than anything else, backing its opponents in the runoff, even if they weren’t from the political camp they usually support.
“Disappointed, disappointed,” said far-right supporter Luc Doumont, 66. “Well, happy to see our progression, because for the past few years we’ve been doing better.”
National Rally leader Le Pen, who was expected to make a fourth run for the French presidency in 2027, said the elections laid the groundwork for “the victory of tomorrow.”
Racism and antisemitism marred the electoral campaign, along with Russian disinformation campaigns, and more than 50 candidates reported being physically attacked — highly unusual for France.
Unlike other countries in Europe that are more accustomed to coalition governments, France doesn’t have a tradition of lawmakers from rival political camps coming together to form a majority. France is also more centralized than many other European countries, with many more decisions made in Paris.


Myanmar earthquake toll crosses 3,000; forecast rains pose new threat for rescuers

Myanmar earthquake toll crosses 3,000; forecast rains pose new threat for rescuers
Updated 4 sec ago
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Myanmar earthquake toll crosses 3,000; forecast rains pose new threat for rescuers

Myanmar earthquake toll crosses 3,000; forecast rains pose new threat for rescuers
  • Last Friday’s 7.7-magnitude quake jolted a region home to 28 million, toppling buildings and flattening communities
  • Conditions could get even tougher for the huge relief effort after weather officials warned of unseasonal rain
BANGKOK: The death toll from Myanmar’s devastating earthquake has surpassed 3,000, with hundreds more missing, as forecasts of unseasonal rain presented a new challenge for rescue and aid workers trying to reach people in a country riven by civil war.
Last Friday’s 7.7-magnitude quake, one of the Southeast Asian nation’s strongest in a century, jolted a region home to 28 million, toppling buildings, flattening communities and leaving many without food, water and shelter.
Deaths rose to 3,003 on Wednesday, with 4,515 injured and 351 missing, Myanmar’s embassy in Japan said on Facebook, while rescuers scramble to find more.
But conditions could get even tougher for the huge relief effort after weather officials warned unseasonal rain from Sunday to April 11 could threaten the areas hardest-hit by the quake, such as Mandalay, Sagaing and the capital Naypyidaw.
“Rain is incoming and there are still so many buried,” an aid worker in Myanmar told Reuters. “And in Mandalay, especially, if it starts to rain, people who are buried will drown even if they’ve survived until this point.”
There have been 53 airlifts of aid to Myanmar, the embassy in Japan added in its post, while more than 1,900 rescue workers arrived from 15 countries, including Southeast Asian neighbors and China, India and Russia.
Despite the devastation, junta chief Min Aung Hlaing will leave his disaster-stricken country on Thursday for a rare trip to a regional summit in Bangkok, state television said.
It is an uncommon foreign visit for a general regarded as a pariah by many countries and the subject of Western sanctions and an International Criminal Court investigation.
Unseasonal rain
The rains will add to the challenges faced by aid and rescue groups, which have called for access to all affected areas despite the strife of civil war.
The military has struggled to run Myanmar since its return to power in a 2021 coup that unseated the elected civilian government of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.
The generals have been internationally isolated since the takeover and Myanmar’s economy and basic services, including health care, have been reduced to tatters amid the strife.
On Wednesday state-run MRTV said a unilateral government ceasefire would take immediate effect for 20 days, to support relief efforts after the quake, but warned authorities would “respond accordingly” if rebels launched attacks.
The move came after a major rebel alliance declared a ceasefire on Tuesday to assist the humanitarian effort.
Nearly a week after the quake, searchers in neighboring Thailand hunting for survivors combed a mountain of debris left after a skyscraper in the capital, Bangkok, collapsed while under construction.
Rescuers are using mechanical diggers and bulldozers to break up 100 tons of concrete to locate any still alive after the disaster that killed 15 people, with 72 still missing.
Thailand’s nationwide toll stands at 22.

South Korea discovers two tonnes of suspected cocaine on board ship

South Korea discovers two tonnes of suspected cocaine on board ship
Updated 34 min 52 sec ago
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South Korea discovers two tonnes of suspected cocaine on board ship

South Korea discovers two tonnes of suspected cocaine on board ship
  • Korea Customs Service and Coast Guard found 57 boxes of the suspected drug on a bulk ship docked at Gangneung city port
  • The ship started its voyage in Mexico and traveled via Ecuador, Panama and China before reaching Gangneung

SEOUL: South Korean authorities found about two tonnes of suspected cocaine on Wednesday on a ship docked at a port, the customs service said, in what appears to be the largest haul of smuggled drugs in the country’s history.
Korea Customs Service and Coast Guard found 57 boxes of the suspected drug on a bulk ship docked at Gangneung city port on the east coast of the Korean Peninsula, the customs service said in a statement.
They searched the ship after receiving information from the US Federal Bureau of Investigation and Homeland Security Investigations, South Korean authorities said.
The ship started its voyage in Mexico and traveled via Ecuador, Panama and China before reaching Gangneung, the statement said.
The customs agency had earlier estimated the weight of the suspected drugs at about one ton, but doubled it after weighing the boxes.
The suspected cocaine haul easily outweighs South Korea’s previous record for smuggled drugs, which was 404 kilograms of methamphetamine found in 2021, a customs spokesperson said.
South Korea has tough drug laws, and crimes are typically punishable by at least six months in prison or up to 15 years or more for repeat offenders and dealers.


EU plans countermeasures to new US tariffs, says bloc’s chief

EU plans countermeasures to new US tariffs, says bloc’s chief
Updated 45 min 17 sec ago
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EU plans countermeasures to new US tariffs, says bloc’s chief

EU plans countermeasures to new US tariffs, says bloc’s chief
  • Ursula von der Leyen: ‘We are already finalizing the first package of countermeasures in response to tariffs on steel’
  • ‘And we’re now preparing for further countermeasures to protect our interests and our businesses if negotiations fail’

BRUSSELS: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen described US Donald Trump’s universal tariffs as a major blow to the world economy and said the European Union was prepared to respond with countermeasures if talks with Washington failed.
“We are already finalizing the first package of countermeasures in response to tariffs on steel,” she said in a statement read out in Uzbek city Samarkand on Thursday, ahead of an EU-Central Asia partnership summit.
“And we’re now preparing for further countermeasures to protect our interests and our businesses if negotiations fail.”
She did not provide any details of future EU measures. The EU plans to impose counter tariffs on up to €26 billion ($28.4 billion) of US goods this month in response to US steel and aluminum tariffs that took effect on March 12.
Trump on Wednesday unveiled a 10 percent minimum tariff on most goods imported to the United States — with a higher 20 percent rate for the European Union — kicking into high gear a global trade war that threatens to drive up inflation and stall US and worldwide economic growth.
Von der Leyen said she deeply regretted the US move and warned of “immense consequences” for the global economy, including vulnerable countries facing some of the highest US tariffs.
“Uncertainty will spiral and trigger the rise of further protectionism,” she said, pointing to higher consumer costs for groceries, medication and transport and disruption for businesses.
“What is more, there seems to be no order in the disorder, no clear path to the complexity and chaos that is being created as all US trading partners are hit,” she continued.
Von der Leyen said she agreed with Trump that others had taken unfair advantage of global trade rules and was ready to support efforts to reform them.
“It is not too late to address concerns through negotiations,” she said.


Danish prime minister visits Greenland as Trump seeks control of the Arctic territory

Danish prime minister visits Greenland as Trump seeks control of the Arctic territory
Updated 54 min 56 sec ago
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Danish prime minister visits Greenland as Trump seeks control of the Arctic territory

Danish prime minister visits Greenland as Trump seeks control of the Arctic territory
  • Greenland is a mineral-rich, strategically critical island that is becoming more accessible because of climate change
  • It is geographically part of North America, but is a semiautonomous territory belonging to the Kingdom of Denmark
NUUK, Greenland: Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen is in Greenland for a three-day trip aimed at building trust and cooperation with Greenlandic officials at a time when the Trump administration is seeking control of the vast Arctic territory.
Frederiksen announced plans for her visit after US Vice President JD Vance visited a US air base in Greenland last week and accused Denmark of underinvesting in the territory.
Greenland is a mineral-rich, strategically critical island that is becoming more accessible because of climate change. Trump has said that the landmass is critical to US security. It’s geographically part of North America, but is a semiautonomous territory belonging to the Kingdom of Denmark.
After her arrival Wednesday, Frederiksen walked the streets of the capital, Nuuk, with the incoming Greenlandic leader, Jens-Frederik Nielsen. She is also to meet with the future Naalakkersuisut, the Cabinet, in a visit due to last through Friday.
“It has my deepest respect how the Greenlandic people and the Greenlandic politicians handle the great pressure that is on Greenland,” she said in government statement announcing the visit.
On the agenda are talks with Nielsen about cooperation between Greenland and Denmark.
Nielsen has said in recent days that he welcomes the visit, and that Greenland would resist any US attempt to annex the territory.
“We must listen when others talk about us. But we must not be shaken. President Trump says the United States is ‘getting Greenland.’ Let me make this clear: The US is not getting that. We don’t belong to anyone else. We decide our own future,” he wrote Sunday on Facebook.
“We must not act out of fear. We must respond with peace, dignity and unity. And it is through these values that we must clearly, clearly and calmly show the American president that Greenland is ours.”
For years, the people of Greenland, with a population of about 57,000, have been working toward eventual independence from Denmark.
The Trump administration’s threats to take control of the island one way or the other, possibly even with military force, have angered many in Greenland and Denmark. The incoming government chosen in last month’s election wants to take a slower approach on the question of eventual independence.
The political group in Greenland most sympathetic to the US president, the Naleraq party that advocates a swift path toward independence, was excluded from coalition talks to form the next government.
Peter Viggo Jakobsen, associate professor at the Danish Defense Academy, said last week that the Trump administration’s aspirations for Greenland could backfire and push the more mild parties closer to Denmark.
He said that “Trump has scared most Greenlanders away from this idea about a close relationship to the United States because they don’t trust him.”

A wary Europe awaits Rubio with NATO’s future on the line

A wary Europe awaits Rubio with NATO’s future on the line
Updated 03 April 2025
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A wary Europe awaits Rubio with NATO’s future on the line

A wary Europe awaits Rubio with NATO’s future on the line

WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio travels this week to a gathering of top diplomats from NATO countries and is sure to find allies that are alarmed, angered and confused by the Trump administration’s desire to reestablish ties with Russia and its escalating rhetorical attacks on longtime transatlantic partners.
Allies are deeply concerned by President Donald Trump’s readiness to draw closer to Russian leader Vladimir Putin, who sees NATO as a threat, amid a US effort to broker a ceasefire in Ukraine. Recent White House comments and insults directed at NATO allies Canada and Denmark — as well as the military alliance itself — have only increased the angst, especially as new US tariffs are taking effect against friends and foes alike.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte gestures as he delivers a press conference at the NATO headquarters in Brussels on April 2, 2025, on the eve of a Ministerial Foreign affairs meeting. (AFP)

Rubio arrives in Brussels on Thursday for two days of meetings with his NATO counterparts and European officials, and he can expect to be confronted with questions about the future US role in the alliance. With him on the trip will be newly confirmed US ambassador to NATO Matt Whitaker.
For 75 years, NATO has been anchored on American leadership, and based on what they have seen and heard since Trump took office in January, European officials have expressed deep concerns that Trump may upend all of that when he and other NATO leaders meet for a June summit in the Netherlands.
Can Rubio reassure allies?
As Rubio did last month at a meeting of foreign ministers from the Group of 7 industrialized democracies, America’s top diplomat, who is regarded by many overseas as a more pragmatic and less dogmatic member of Trump’s administration, may be able to salvage a watered-down group consensus on the war in Ukraine.
That’s even as Trump said this week that Ukraine “was never going to be a member of NATO” despite leaders declaring at last year’s summit that the country was on an “irreversible” path to join.
But Rubio will be hard-pressed to explain Washington’s unprovoked verbal attacks on NATO allies Canada, which Trump says he wants to claim as the 51st state, and Denmark, whose territory of Greenland he says the US should annex. Both have been accused of being “bad allies” by Trump and Vice President JD Vance.
“It’s pretty clear neither territory has any interest in joining a Trumpian America,” said Ian Kelly, US ambassador to Georgia during the Obama and first Trump administrations and now an international studies professor at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.
“There’s going to be a lot of very anxious Euros about what Trump is going to call for and what announcements he’s going to make,” he said. “If he isn’t already, Rubio is going to be in a mode of trying to reassure European allies that we are not, in fact, not dependable.”

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio boards his plane at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, on April 2, 2025, en route to NATO in Belgium. (Pool via REUTERS)

Yet, in just under two months, NATO has been shaken to its core, challenged increasingly by Russia and the biggest land war in Europe since 1945 from the outside, and by the Trump administration from within, breaking with decades of relatively predictable US leadership.
Trump has consistently complained about NATO members’ defense spending and even raised doubts about the US commitment to mutual defense in the alliance’s founding treaty, which says an attack on one NATO member is considered an attack on all.
 

Europeans taking on more security guarantees
Since Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned last month that US security priorities lie elsewhere — in Asia and on its own borders — the Europeans have waited to learn how big a military drawdown in Europe could be and how fast it may happen.
In Europe and Canada, governments are working on “burden shifting” plans to take over more of the load, while trying to ensure that no security vacuum is created if US troops and equipment are withdrawn from the continent.
These allies are keen to hear from Rubio what the Trump administration’s intentions are and hope to secure some kind of roadmap that lays out what will happen next and when, so they can synchronize planning and use European forces to plug any gaps.
At the same time, NATO’s deterrent effect against an adversary like Russia is only credible when backed by US firepower. For the Europeans and Canada, this means that US nuclear weapons and the 6th Fleet must remain stationed in Europe.
“America is indispensable for credible deterrence,” a senior NATO diplomat told reporters on condition of anonymity to speak ahead of the meeting.

Polish and US troops take part in the so-called Defender-Europe 20 joint military exercise at Drawsko Pomorskie training grounds in Poland on August 11, 2020. (AFP)

Around 100,000 US troops are deployed across the continent. European allies believe at least 20,000 personnel sent by the Biden administration after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine three years ago could be withdrawn.
Another priority for US allies is to understand whether Trump believes that Russia still poses the greatest security threat. In their summit statement last year, NATO leaders insisted that “Russia remains the most significant and direct threat to Allies’ security.”
But Trump’s receptiveness to Putin and recent favorable remarks by some US officials have raised doubts. The question, diplomats say, is why allies should spend 5 percent of their gross domestic product on their defense budgets if Russia is no longer a threat.
At the same time, the Europeans and Canada know they must spend more — not least to protect themselves and keep arming Ukraine. At their next summit in June, NATO leaders are expected to raise the alliance’s military budget goal from at least 2 percent to more than 3 percent.
Rubio “is in a very difficult position,” said Jeff Rathke, president of the American-German Institute at Johns Hopkins University. Trump “has tried to convince allies that a US realignment with Russia is in the best interests of the US and presumably Europe, and at the same time tell them that they need to double their defense spending to deal with threats posed by Russia,” he said. “The logical question they will ask is ‘why?’”