French President Francois Hollande's approval ratings are at a record-low of 17 percent. (Photo: Jean-Marc Ayrault/CC)
Aug 26, 2014
French President Francois Hollande took the dramatic step Monday of dissolving the country's government in the midst of a heated row over unpopular austerity policies--a move that effectively forced austerity critics from their positions and created a new cabinet of loyalists.
The upheaval marks the second time in less than five months that Hollande has orchestrated a shake-up of the French cabinet and comes amid rising opposition to the austerity policies of the president, whose approval rating has plummeted to 17 percent.
Amid a growing rift within the Socialist Party over austerity, Economy Minister Arnaud Montebourg was featured in an interview with French paper Le Monde, published Saturday, in which he called for the president to abandon the country's "dogmatic" austerity policies, which he charged as "absurd" and subservient to Germany's far-right political forces.
In response to this and other public criticisms from ministers--which John Palmer describes in the Guardian as an "austerity revolt," Hollande's office released a statement Monday announcing that Prime Minister Manuel Valls has been tasked with forming a new government "that supports the objectives [Hollande] has set out for the country."
Later on Monday, Montebourg stated at a press conference, "I informed the prime minister.... that if he deemed my convictions counter to the direction of the government he leads, then in that case I thought it necessary for me to be let go," the BBC reports.
Austerity critics Education Minister Benoit Hamon and Culture Minister Aurelie Filippetti have similarly been forced from the government. Filippetti told RMC Radio and BFMTV on Tuesday that austerity policies across Europe are "leading to an impasse" and declared that her ideals are "obviously not compatible with membership of the next government."
The new cabinet, unveiled Tuesday, includes hefty promotions for Hollande's supporters, with former presidential adviser Emmanuel Macron slated to take Montebourg's place as Economy Minister.
The turmoil comes amid plummeting approval of the Socialist Party, which has moved further to the right amid rising unemployment and poverty in France. Meanwhile, support for the extreme far-right National Front is on the rise, with the party polling high for France's 2017 Presidential race.
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Sarah Lazare
Sarah Lazare was a staff writer for Common Dreams from 2013-2016. She is currently web editor and reporter for In These Times.
French President Francois Hollande took the dramatic step Monday of dissolving the country's government in the midst of a heated row over unpopular austerity policies--a move that effectively forced austerity critics from their positions and created a new cabinet of loyalists.
The upheaval marks the second time in less than five months that Hollande has orchestrated a shake-up of the French cabinet and comes amid rising opposition to the austerity policies of the president, whose approval rating has plummeted to 17 percent.
Amid a growing rift within the Socialist Party over austerity, Economy Minister Arnaud Montebourg was featured in an interview with French paper Le Monde, published Saturday, in which he called for the president to abandon the country's "dogmatic" austerity policies, which he charged as "absurd" and subservient to Germany's far-right political forces.
In response to this and other public criticisms from ministers--which John Palmer describes in the Guardian as an "austerity revolt," Hollande's office released a statement Monday announcing that Prime Minister Manuel Valls has been tasked with forming a new government "that supports the objectives [Hollande] has set out for the country."
Later on Monday, Montebourg stated at a press conference, "I informed the prime minister.... that if he deemed my convictions counter to the direction of the government he leads, then in that case I thought it necessary for me to be let go," the BBC reports.
Austerity critics Education Minister Benoit Hamon and Culture Minister Aurelie Filippetti have similarly been forced from the government. Filippetti told RMC Radio and BFMTV on Tuesday that austerity policies across Europe are "leading to an impasse" and declared that her ideals are "obviously not compatible with membership of the next government."
The new cabinet, unveiled Tuesday, includes hefty promotions for Hollande's supporters, with former presidential adviser Emmanuel Macron slated to take Montebourg's place as Economy Minister.
The turmoil comes amid plummeting approval of the Socialist Party, which has moved further to the right amid rising unemployment and poverty in France. Meanwhile, support for the extreme far-right National Front is on the rise, with the party polling high for France's 2017 Presidential race.
Sarah Lazare
Sarah Lazare was a staff writer for Common Dreams from 2013-2016. She is currently web editor and reporter for In These Times.
French President Francois Hollande took the dramatic step Monday of dissolving the country's government in the midst of a heated row over unpopular austerity policies--a move that effectively forced austerity critics from their positions and created a new cabinet of loyalists.
The upheaval marks the second time in less than five months that Hollande has orchestrated a shake-up of the French cabinet and comes amid rising opposition to the austerity policies of the president, whose approval rating has plummeted to 17 percent.
Amid a growing rift within the Socialist Party over austerity, Economy Minister Arnaud Montebourg was featured in an interview with French paper Le Monde, published Saturday, in which he called for the president to abandon the country's "dogmatic" austerity policies, which he charged as "absurd" and subservient to Germany's far-right political forces.
In response to this and other public criticisms from ministers--which John Palmer describes in the Guardian as an "austerity revolt," Hollande's office released a statement Monday announcing that Prime Minister Manuel Valls has been tasked with forming a new government "that supports the objectives [Hollande] has set out for the country."
Later on Monday, Montebourg stated at a press conference, "I informed the prime minister.... that if he deemed my convictions counter to the direction of the government he leads, then in that case I thought it necessary for me to be let go," the BBC reports.
Austerity critics Education Minister Benoit Hamon and Culture Minister Aurelie Filippetti have similarly been forced from the government. Filippetti told RMC Radio and BFMTV on Tuesday that austerity policies across Europe are "leading to an impasse" and declared that her ideals are "obviously not compatible with membership of the next government."
The new cabinet, unveiled Tuesday, includes hefty promotions for Hollande's supporters, with former presidential adviser Emmanuel Macron slated to take Montebourg's place as Economy Minister.
The turmoil comes amid plummeting approval of the Socialist Party, which has moved further to the right amid rising unemployment and poverty in France. Meanwhile, support for the extreme far-right National Front is on the rise, with the party polling high for France's 2017 Presidential race.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.