Michelle Barney was brought in with his legendary negotiation skills to try and bring together Parliament to be able to pass a budget. He failed, and question turns now to who could possibly succeed him this as investors are watching
closely what's happening as well. I'm just looking at the latest commentary out of the Moody's Ratings Agency talking about the fall of the Barneer government, deepening the country's political stalemate and also contributing to a higher cost of debt as well, saying that this complicates policymaking in France, perhaps an understatement for those who are involved in it, given how difficult things have been in recent months as well.
I want to discuss this and please to say we're joined this morning by the Socialist Party Senator Elen Conway More, who represents French citizens living abroad and as a former minister under President Francois and good morning, senator, thank you very much for being with us on Bloomberg Radio. How big a crisis is this? The President of the National Assembly, Yelbon PV is saying this morning this is a collective failure of politicians.
Yes, indeed it is, but I think, you know, there's always a good side to any crisis, and this is a political crisis. It's not a financial one. We have a political crisis because we have, for the first time in the National Assembly three blocks. And obviously the fall of Michelle Barnier was quite predictable in so far as when two blocks come together, of course they get a majority. And I think Michelle Barnier raised a lot of hopes
in that. Indeed, he has these credentials of, you know, being a good negotiator, but I think he failed in that one.
He failed to.
Be able to rally you know, the Democrats if you like, within the Assembly and turned to his extreme right to try to find compromises.
And of course that got his downfall. So it was all predictable.
Now what is unfortunate is that it's happening in the middle of the discussions that we are having on the budget.
Who could do a better job at the point, would you want to see somebody from your party nominated as Prime minister, Well it could be.
I think we need somebody who is capable of getting compromises.
I mean, this is what we're doing in the Senate all the time.
I mean, this is a tradition that we have and indeed usually we get majority votes on most texts as we're capable of looking into what everybody wants, you know, obviously different vision of society and what may be a priority. But when you give everybody a little bit of what they want, it works. So I think we need somebody who is capable today of getting these compromises, and certainly
somebody who can form a government very very quickly. There's no shutdown as you know it happens in the United States with us because we have a number of articles in our constitution that allows us to manage in in a political crisis, which is.
One that we're having now.
I think that last one was in nineteen sixty two, so it's not pretty current in French politics to have this type of situation.
But we just now need a government that.
Will be holding together and maybe that will represent what the National Assembly is about now far more and just move away from the old style where we had majority and a minority. You know, it was a binary system which existed in a lot of countries. I mean Germany, it was the same, you know, and you know, an image of what the United States have, you know, with Republicans and Democrats.
But now we have a lot of new parties, movements and so on, and therefore I think the political world needs to basically kind of work, you know, on a new setup which you know, it's kind of changing its.
Culture, and that takes a little bit of time, and I think this crisis is pushing.
Them to do it.
But your party is central to us. If we look at the makeup of the National Assembly, we know that the centrist parties won't work with the far right or the far left, so that leaves the Socialist Party in greater numbers. Since the elections last in the summer, what could convince the Socialist Party to separate themselves from the new Popular Front from the hard left parties and to join a sort of unity government of the center. What will be the key policies that would win your support?
Well, the key policy is obviously social I mean we have indicated that we have we gave gave reservations as to what the money government was presenting while we we realized that savings sort to be made because of the deficit today that France has. But I think what will wish to answer your question would be a government where there is a representation of all those who are Democrats who believe that we can move forward together and having
you know, discussions. I think the political leaders are going to meet with the president today, and I think if the President in his address tonight on television at the eight PM has a name that you know, he has discussed with all political leaders and which would be agreeable to all of them, I think we would be in a position to you know, participate in the government and indeed support and certainly devote the budget, which is the most important thing for twenty twenty five, you know.
And then the end though of the need would that be the end of the new Popular Front alliance?
Though?
Would your party separate themselves from their partners in that alliance?
Well, there are.
Three are four parties in that alliance, and three of them are have indicated that they want to move forward, they do not wish the president to resign, uh, and that.
They are very willing to move forward. So, you know, three out of four.
So maybe it will be a new a new alliance if you like, with three with three parties rather than.
Four of them.
Two names from your party who's been floated around as potential candidates Segal and Royale, former Environment Minister and presidential candidate. Bernard Kasnov, former Prime Minister. Would either of those be people eat support well.
Yes, of course, But there are others as well that have not been named by the media that will be potential candidates.
But we will see, we will see.
I mean, you know, it's not I think you know, we have learned from proposing a name that was refused by the President and we're not going this time forward with names.
Just see what the President has.
In mind in mind and then see if we can get an agreement on just not the prime minister, but the full government that will be you know, uh put in place and we hope as quickly as possible.
Allen Conway, MOWA, thank you so much for your time on the program this morning. Socialist Party senator and former minister under President Francois Holand we appreciate your insights and contribution.