Australia’s Left-wing government has delayed plans to hold a referendum on replacing King Charles as head of state in the same week it confirmed that a royal visit will take place.
Anthony Albanese, Australia’s prime minister and an avowed republican, had
proposed to hold a republican referendum if he won a second term in 2025, but his government has now said it must focus instead on the cost-of-living crisis.
“It’s not a priority at the moment,” said Matt Thistlethwaite, assistant minister for the republic, a position created to advocate for the cause when Mr Albanese was first elected in May 2022. “The priority for the government at the moment is obviously dealing with cost-of-living pressure and assisting households and businesses to get through this difficult time.”
Meanwhile in another Republic far away:
Emmanuel Macron is attempting to give his troubled government new momentum ahead of European elections due later this year.
French President Emmanuel Macron has sacked his prime minister after less than two years in the job in an attempt to give his troubled government a much-needed reset ahead of European elections due later this year.
The French president and his government have struggled to strike deals in parliament since losing their absolute majority shortly after Macron was
re-elected for a second term in April 2022.
In her resignation letter, cited by French newspaper
Le Monde, Borne hinted that she would have preferred to stay at her job.
“While I must present the resignation of my government, I wanted to tell you how passionate I was about this mission,” she wrote, adding that she “worked hard to ensure the adoption, under unprecedented conditions in parliament” of his contentious pension reforms, immigration law and “more than 50 laws that respond to the challenges” facing “the concerns of the French people”.
Under the French system, the president sets general policies and the prime minister is responsible for day-to-day government management, meaning the latter often pays the price when an administration runs into turbulence.
French political commentators view the reshuffle as essential to relaunch Macron’s centrist presidency for its last three years and prevent him becoming a “lame duck” leader after a series of crises. The new prime minister will be the fourth since 2017 under Macron, who is accused by critics of micro-managing and centralising power.
Polls show that the resurgent far-right led by Marine Le Pen is in first place of voting intentions, almost 10 points ahead of Macron’s centrist alliance. Le Pen’s rising popularity contrasts with waning support for Macron, prompting worries that the anti-immigration, Eurosceptic politician may win the next presidential election in 2027.