In France, chaos ensues after Prime Minister’s ousting and gov’t collapse
France’s new Prime Minister, Sébastien Lecornu was announced Tuesday — the fifth prime minister to serve in two years.
Lecornu replaces François Bayrou who was ousted in a Monday parliamentary vote because of the country’s large budget deficit, according to Reuters. Subsequently, the government experienced a collapse after Bayrou’s failure to obtain a confidence vote for his budget proposals.
“The President of the Republic has entrusted me with the task of building a Government with a clear direction,” Lecornu said in an X post. “I would like to thank him for the confidence he has shown in me by appointing me Prime Minister. I salute François Bayrou for the courage he showed in defending his convictions to the end.”
Less than 48 hours after Bayrou’s ousting, anti-government protests surged to express disapproval over the president, the proposed budget cuts and the political class.
The protests came from the “Block Everything” movement, which originated within a far-right online circle but was then co-opted by left-wing groups and labor unions. The French authorities sent 80,000 police after protesters blocked highways and gas stations on Wednesday. This show of force hasn’t been prevalent since the peak of the yellow vests protests in 2018 after Macron’s attempt to reduce carbon emissions through imposing a fuel tax, according to NBC News.
In Argentina, peso reaches ‘historic low’ after Milei’s party loses legislative elections
The peso dropped over 5% against the dollar after President Javier Milei’s La Libertad Avanza party lost this Sunday’s legislative elections in Buenos Aires by 13 points.
The notable setback — Milei’s party obtaining just 34% of votes — happened nearly 50 days before the country’s midterm legislative elections and amid a bribery scandal involving those in the president’s inner circle, including his sister Karina Milei, Argentina’s secretary general of the presidency.
The Sept. 7 elections were for legislators of the Buenos Aires Province, which covers nearly 40% of the country’s electorate and typically defines the outcome of national elections. With midterm elections for the national congress coming up in October, this leaves the Argentine government and ruling party in fear of losing and being left with a minority in both chambers, which would make their remaining term and chances of being reelected more difficult.
“We suffered a setback, and we must accept it responsibly,” Milei said at his party headquarters, according to ABC News. “If we’ve made political mistakes, we’re going to internalize them, we’re going to process them, we’re going to modify our actions.”
In Australia, defense minister to spend $1.1 billion on underwater attack drone
Australia plans to spend over $1 billion on developing more underwater attack drones, Defense Minister Richard Marles said in a Wednesday speech.
The announcement is a part of a five-year contract with Anduril, an American defense technology company specializing in autonomous systems, which will oversee the development and manufacturing of Ghost Shark drones. The California-based company was contracted by Australia in 2022 to design and produce prototypes for the country’s navy.
“Australia is leading the world in terms of autonomous, underwater military capabilities,” Marles told reporters.
The first Ghost Sharks will be in service at the beginning of next year and will have opportunities to expand the country’s naval capabilities further, along with the reviewed three-way security pact with the U.S. and the United Kingdom, which supplies Australia with nuclear-powered submarines.
Marles did not explain either the exact development of Ghost Shark or exactly how long their range will be, though he said that Australia’s navy would be provided with dozens of drones over the next five years.
Contact Jennifer Jesus and Eva Mundo at [email protected].