Embattled French PM faces clutch day in parliament

AFP

Embattled French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu will give a high-stakes speech Tuesday to a deeply divided parliament, a day after President Emmanuel Macron blamed opponents for plunging the country into “chaos”.

France, the eurozone’s second-largest economy, is in a deep political crisis that has spooked markets and raised concern about its minority government’s ability to govern and ease the country’s debt burden.

After an extraordinary week of political drama, which saw Lecornu resign on October 6 only to be re-appointed by Macron on Friday, the 39-year-old prime minister urged his new cabinet on Monday to do everything to help France overcome the deadlock.

“I am counting on you to show the utmost restraint and humility,” Lecornu, the seventh prime minister of Macron’s mandate, told his new cabinet.

“Service is something that requires putting egos aside,” said Lecornu, on the eve of a key policy speech to parliament, where he faces threats of censure.

Lecornu addressed the cabinet following a low-key handover ceremony, which took place without journalists.