French Parliamentary leaders rejected a bid to impeach President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday, as a spiraling political crisis in the country has seen his popularity plummet to unprecedented lows.
The motion was proposed earlier this year by left-wing parties led by La France Insoumise (LFI).
On Wednesday, the Bureau of the National Assembly rejected the motion ten to five, with five abstaining. The decision means the motion will not proceed to the rest of parliament.
LFI President Mathilde Panot blamed the abstaining right-wing MPs for the loss.
“The National Rally is still preventing the discussion and vote on Emmanuel Macron’s impeachment,” she wrote on X following the vote.
Outgoing Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu told France 2 on Wednesday that “an absolute majority in the National Assembly opposes the dissolution.”
“I can assure you that this is not the time to change the President of the Republic,” he said.
Lecornu resigned from Macron’s cabinet on Monday after less than a month in office, amid budget disputes and parliamentary gridlock. His resignation marked the seventh time a prime minister has stepped down from Macron’s government since the president took office in 2017. Lecornu has agreed to fulfill his duties for 48 hours after his resignation.
Opposition lawmakers initially called for Macron’s impeachment earlier this year, blaming him for a worsening political crisis over his decision in June 2024 to dissolve parliament and call snap elections.
According to a recent Elabe poll carried out for Les Echos, the French president’s approval rating has fallen to 14% following his government’s unsuccessful efforts to pass a deeply unpopular budget.
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