French interior minister quits: what next?
French President Emmanuel Macron has accepted the resignation of Interior Minister Gérard Collomb. Collomb had already announced in mid-September that he intended to run for the post of mayor of Lyon and would resign as minister for that reason. Macron has lost control of his cabinet, commentators write.
Unpleasant reminder of former times
French politics is anything but stable, writes Le Figaro:
“The new world extolled by Emmanuel Macron is showing signs of ageing. Coming after the resignation of Nicolas Hulot at the end of August, Gérard Collomb's resignation is worthy of Vaudeville. And it is reminiscent of bygone times, namely those of the Fourth Republic when governmental instability was chronic. ... The head of state would no doubt have preferred to be spared such unpleasant reminders. This is vexing for someone who wanted to change the 'practices and faces' of French politics.”
No sign of efficiency
Nadia Pantel, Paris correspondent for the Süddeutsche Zeitung, also sees the French president in a tight spot:
“Macron wants to govern 'efficiently', as he never tires of repeating. But now his government has seen off its seventh minister. Interior Minister Gérard Collomb staged his departure this week like an afternoon soap opera. Needless tension, late-night talks. He left a ministry faced with gigantic tasks without there being any apparent need for him to do so. France has been unable to come up with a just - or even functional - asylum system. The police face their biggest crisis in the past 20 years. And instead of facing his responsibilities Collomb has left the stage. Macron's presidency is many things at present, but one thing it's not is efficient.”