{"id":4063,"date":"2025-09-11T12:35:11","date_gmt":"2025-09-11T09:35:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/media.aurumgroup.ua\/?post_type=news&p=4063"},"modified":"2025-09-11T12:35:12","modified_gmt":"2025-09-11T09:35:12","slug":"alona-lebedieva-why-the-crisis-in-paris-may-affect-kyiv","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/media.aurumgroup.ua\/?news=alona-lebedieva-why-the-crisis-in-paris-may-affect-kyiv&lang=en","title":{"rendered":"Alona Lebedieva: Why the Crisis in Paris May Affect Kyiv"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Vote of No Confidence and Government Resignation<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On September 8, the French parliament passed a vote of no confidence in Bayrou\u2019s government. A total of 194 deputies voted in favor, while 364 voted against. The initiative came from Bayrou himself, who sought to secure support amid the protracted crisis surrounding the 2026 budget. With public debt rising, the government proposed freezing social benefits and pensions \u2014 an unpopular but economically realistic measure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last year, France\u2019s budget deficit reached 5.8% of GDP, well above the EU\u2019s official target of 3%. Public debt has exceeded \u20ac3.35 trillion, or 114% of GDP \u2014 nearly twice the EU\u2019s recommended threshold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

New Prime Minister and Parliamentary Crisis<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following Bayrou\u2019s resignation, President Emmanuel Macron appointed former Defense Minister S\u00e9bastien Lecornu as prime minister \u2014 the fifth head of government in just two years. However, the appointment alone does not resolve the crisis: the cabinet still needs to be negotiated with parliamentary forces, where opposition blocs dominate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cChronic government\u2013parliament crises began in June 2024, when Macron dissolved the National Assembly and called early elections. There was no obvious need for this step,<\/em>\u201d emphasizes Alona Lebedieva, owner of the Ukrainian industrial and investment group Aurum Group.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Mass Protests in France<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Lecornu\u2019s very first day in office, large-scale demonstrations broke out against budget policy. According to the French Ministry of the Interior, more than 175,000 people took part in 550 rallies nationwide under the \u201cBloquons Tout\u201d (\u201cBlock Everything\u201d) movement. Protesters targeted President Macron and the budget cuts, convinced that the new prime minister would simply continue Bayrou\u2019s course.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As reported by AP<\/a>, the demonstrations were accompanied by road blockades, arson, and riots. In Rennes, a bus was set on fire, while in the southwest, a blaze damaged power lines, halting train traffic. The government deployed 80,000 police officers; 473 protesters were arrested, including 203 in Paris.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Opposition as a Source of Instability<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Parliament is now controlled by two opposition forces \u2014 Marine Le Pen\u2019s National Rally and the left-wing coalition dominated by Jean-Luc M\u00e9lenchon\u2019s France Unbowed. \u201cUnder these circumstances, the government is entirely dependent on the opposition. They can block any bill and send the cabinet into resignation,<\/em>\u201d explains Lebedieva.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This amounts to a de facto paralysis of the legislative branch and a high risk of prolonged political destabilization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Implications for Ukraine<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cFrance is plunging into a new wave of domestic political turmoil. This will significantly complicate Macron\u2019s ability to pursue international initiatives. His positions on Ukraine or the Middle East will carry less weight, as partners will be less inclined to listen to Paris,<\/em>\u201d notes Lebedieva.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

For Kyiv, this is of particular importance. Bayrou\u2019s government maintained a consistent pro-Ukrainian stance, while the growing influence of Le Pen could weaken EU support for Ukraine. Her party opposes further aid to Kyiv and advocates a review of sanctions against Russia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Political instability in Paris makes Ukraine\u2019s diplomatic map more complicated. This raises the importance of other partners \u2014 Germany, Italy, and the countries of Central Europe. Ukraine must actively diversify its diplomatic efforts to avoid excessive reliance on France.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Vote of No Confidence and Government Resignation On September 8, the French parliament passed a vote of no confidence in Bayrou\u2019s government. A total of 194 deputies voted in favor, while 364 voted against. The initiative came from Bayrou himself, who sought to secure support amid the protracted crisis surrounding the 2026 budget. With public […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":3867,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","tags":[],"news-category":[43],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/media.aurumgroup.ua\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/news\/4063"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/media.aurumgroup.ua\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/media.aurumgroup.ua\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/media.aurumgroup.ua\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/media.aurumgroup.ua\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4063"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/media.aurumgroup.ua\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/news\/4063\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/media.aurumgroup.ua\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3867"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/media.aurumgroup.ua\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4063"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/media.aurumgroup.ua\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4063"},{"taxonomy":"news-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/media.aurumgroup.ua\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fnews-category&post=4063"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}