French President Dissolves Government

French President François Hollande dissolved his government on Monday. An open feud had erupted within his Cabinet over economic policies.

France has had effectively zero economic growth this year and unemployment is hovering around 10 percent. The European Union is pressuring the country to get its finances in order.

Economy Minister Arnaud Montebourg openly criticized Hollande’s current austerity measures. Montebourg and two other left-wing ministers blamed the austerity measures for causing France’s continued economic stagnation. The austerity measures were approved by Germany.

Montebourg called for a major change in Hollande’s economic policy just days after the president said there would be no change.

At a Socialist party rally on Sunday, Montebourg called France a “free country” and said it “shouldn’t be aligning itself with the obsessions of the German right.”

Hollande approval rating is only 17 percent. Even his support base is criticizing him for failing to restore France’s economic growth as promised. His previous economic plans were opposed by German Chancellor Angela Merkel. The German chancellor has repeatedly rejected French and Italian appeals to soften eurozone deficit targets, which the two countries have failed to meet.

Montebourg’s criticisms led to French Prime Minister Manuel Valls offering up his Socialist government’s resignation. Hollande accepted the resignation and ordered Valls to form a new government by Tuesday, September 2.

France’s new government will replace ministers like Montebourg who are critical of the government’s policies. It is also expected to work toward smoother ties with the EU.

The Trumpet has long forecast that France would take a backseat to Germany in EU leadership. Although France is one of the EU’s largest and most powerful member nations, it is clear that Germany is heavily influencing its economic decisions. This indicates just how much Germany already dominates the EU.