Into Instability
Three States: France, Georgia and South Korea in stories of instability
French government falls in historic no-confidence vote
For the first time in over sixty years, the National Assembly lower house toppled the incumbent government, approving a no-confidence motion that had been proposed by the hard left but which crucially was backed by the far-right headed by Marine Le Pen.
Barnier's rapid ejection from office comes after snap parliamentary elections this summer which resulted in a hung parliament with no party having an overall majority and the far-right holding the key to the government's survival.
President Emmanuel Macron now has the difficult task of picking a viable successor with over two years of his presidential term left.
He is to address the nation at 1900 GMT on Thursday, the Elysee said. Earlier in the day, Macron is to receive Barnier at 0900 GMT who will submit the resignation of the government.
The National Assembly debated a motion brought by the hard left in a standoff over next year's austerity budget, after the prime minister on Monday forced through a social security financing bill without a vote.
With the support of the far-right, a majority of 331 MPs in the 577-member chamber voted to oust the government.
'Calling on Macron to go'
Macron flew back into Paris just ahead of the vote after wrapping up his three-day state visit to Saudi Arabia, an apparent world away from the domestic crisis.
He strolled earlier Wednesday through the desert sands of the Al-Ula oasis, an iconic tourist project of the kingdom, marvelling at ancient landmarks. After landing, he headed direct to the Elysee Palace.
"We are now calling on Macron to go," Mathilde Panot, the head of the parliamentary faction of the hard-left France Unbowed (LFI) party told reporters, urging "early presidential elections" to solve the deepening political crisis.
But taking care not to crow over the fall of the government, Le Pen said in a television interview that her party -- once a new premier is appointed -- "would let them work" and help create a "budget that is acceptable for everyone".
Laurent Wauquiez, the head of right-wing deputies in parliament, said the far-right and hard-left bore the responsibility for a no-confidence vote that would "plunge the country into instability".
'His failure'
Macron on Tuesday had rejected calls to resign, saying such a scenario amounted to "political fiction".
With markets nervous and France bracing for public-sector strikes against the threat of cutbacks, action that will shut schools and hit air and rail traffic, there is a growing sense of crisis.
The unions have called for civil servants, including teachers and air traffic controllers, to strike on Thursday over separate cost-cutting measures proposed by their respective ministries this autumn.
Meanwhile, Macron is due to host a major international event Saturday, with the reopening of the Notre-Dame cathedral after the 2019 fire, with guests including Donald Trump on his first foreign trip since he was elected to be the next US president.
"His failure," was left-wing daily Liberation's front-page headline, with a picture of Macron, whose term runs until 2027.
'Shattered strategy'
In an editorial, Le Monde said Le Pen's move risked upsetting her own supporters, such as retirees and business leaders, by toppling the government.
"In the space of a few minutes, she shattered the strategy of normalisation she had consistently pursued," the daily said.
Some observers have suggested that Le Pen, 56, is seeking to bring down Macron before his term ends by ousting Barnier.
Le Pen is embroiled in a high-profile embezzlement trial. If found guilty in March, she could be blocked from participating in France's next presidential election.
But if Macron stepped down soon, an election would have to be called within a month, potentially ahead of the verdict in her trial.
Candidates for the post of premier are few, but loyalist Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu and Macron's centrist ally Francois Bayrou are possible contenders.
On the left, Macron could turn to former Socialist premier and interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve, a contender in September.
Macron is minded to appoint the new premier rapidly, several sources told AFP.
It was the first successful no-confidence vote since a defeat for Georges Pompidou's government in 1962, when Charles de Gaulle was president.
The lifespan of Barnier's government is also the shortest of any administration since the Fifth Republic began in 1958.
https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20241204-french-government-falls-in-historic-no-confidence-vote
Fourth attempt to spark revolution in Georgia fails — Prime Minister
Irakly Kobakhidze pointed out that all these attempted revolutions have run the opposition ragged
TBILISI, December 3. /TASS/. The Georgian opposition’s fourth attempt to incite a revolution has failed, Prime Minister of Georgia Irakly Kobakhidze said.
"In the past four years, we saw four attempted revolutions - the ‘natsmaidans’. This is a fact. The first attempt to carry out a ‘natsmaidan’ took place in 2022, when we were not granted [EU membership] candidate status. NGOs funded from abroad entered the political stage and demanded that the government resign, hoping to take power themselves. The second attempt took place in the spring of 2023, the third took place in the spring of 2024, and now we see the fourth failed attempt to carry out a ‘natsmaidan’," Kobakhidze said during a briefing.
He pointed out that all these attempted revolutions have run the opposition ragged.
"It is clear now that a lot of resources were depleted in these four years. Accordingly, the fourth wave of revolution was much weaker than it could be," Kobakhidze noted.
According to the prime minister, over the past two days of rallies near the parliament building, much fewer people showed up, including radicals.
A new wave of protests began in Georgia on November 28, sparked by Prime Minister Irakly Kobakhidze’s statement that the ruling party, Georgian Dream — Democratic Georgia, had decided to postpone any discussion about the country joining the European Union until the end of 2028 and to refuse any funding from the EU. He said that the decision was influenced by constant attempts at blackmail by the EU regarding the start of the accession dialogue, demands to cancel a number of laws adopted by the parliament, and calls to sanction the Georgian authorities.
Large-scale protests took place last and this spring in Tbilisi, precipitated by the ruling party’s initiative to pass a law on foreign agents. The authorities withdrew the bill after the clashes last year, but reintroduced it again this April. Despite the constant protests and the pressure from the West, the ruling party adopted the law "On transparency of foreign influence," which caused a significant deterioration of Georgia’s relations with the EU and the United States.
https://tass.com/world/1881347
Georgia’s prime minister slams protests in Tbilisi
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze criticised ongoing protests in Tbilisi on Sunday, calling them violent.
TBILISI, Georgia
"The protests in Tbilisi are not peaceful," he said during a press conference, accusing demonstrators of attacking police and the parliament building.
Kobakhidze said the opposition was attempting to stage events similar to Ukraine’s 2014 "Maidan incidents" and vowed to prevent such actions.
He also revealed that foreign nationals, including Russians and a British citizen, were among those involved.
"We may be dealing with foreign 'trainers' organising these violent groups, but this is a matter of investigation," he said.
Despite announcing the suspension of European Union membership negotiations until 2028, Kobakhidze reaffirmed the government's commitment to EU integration.
"We pledge to make every effort for Georgia’s full membership in the EU by 2030," he said.
NB: Writing by Gizem Nisa Cebi in Istanbul
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/world/georgia-s-prime-minister-slams-protests-in-tbilisi/3410524
South Korea's Yoon faces impeachment after martial law debacle
SEOUL, Dec 4 (Reuters) - South Korean lawmakers on Wednesday proposed impeaching President Yoon Suk Yeol for his sudden decision to declare martial law, which he rescinded after a chaotic standoff between parliament and the army that damaged the country's standing.
By Hyunjoo Jin
Yoon's declaration of martial law late on Tuesday attempted to ban political activity and censor the media in South Korea, which has Asia's fourth largest economy and is a key U.S. ally.
Washington had no advance notice of the decision, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Reuters, adding that he expected to speak with his South Korean counterpart in the coming days.
Armed troops had forced their way into the National Assembly building in Seoul but stood back when parliamentary aides sprayed them with fire extinguishers. Lawmakers rejected the martial law decision while protesters scuffled with police outside.
On Wednesday evening, civic and labour groups held a candlelight vigil in downtown Seoul calling for Yoon's resignation - a reminder of the massive candlelight protests that led to the impeachment of former President Park Geun-hye in 2017. They then marched to the presidential office.
Six South Korean opposition parties submitted a bill in parliament to impeach Yoon, who had already faced accusations of heavy-handed leadership from his opponents and from within his own party, with voting set for Friday or Saturday.
A plenary session to formally introduce the bill was scheduled to begin shortly after midnight (1500 GMT) on Wednesday.
"We couldn't ignore the illegal martial law," DP lawmaker Kim Yong-min told reporters. "We can no longer let democracy collapse."
The leader of Yoon's ruling People Power Party called for Defence Minister Kim Yong-hyun to be fired and the entire cabinet to resign. Kim has offered to resign, the defence ministry said.
The crisis rattled global financial markets and left South Korea's benchmark KOSPI index .KS11 down 1.4%, taking its year-to-date losses to over 7% and making it the worst performing major stock market in Asia this year.
The won was stable but close to a two-year low, with dealers reporting suspected intervention by South Korean authorities after overnight talks between Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok and Bank of Korea Governor Rhee Chang-yong.
Choi sent an emergency note to global financial chiefs and credit rating agencies late on Wednesday which said the market was functioning as usual, and that the finance ministry was working to alleviate any adverse impact from political turmoil, the ministry said in a statement.
NO SPECIFIC THREATS
Yoon told the nation in a television speech late on Tuesday that martial law was needed to defend the country from pro-North Korean anti-state forces, and protect the free constitutional order, although he cited no specific threats.
Within hours, South Korea's parliament, with 190 of its 300 members present, unanimously passed a motion for martial law be lifted, with 18 members of Yoon's party present.
The president then rescinded the declaration of martial law, around six hours after its proclamation.
Protesters outside the National Assembly shouted and clapped. "We won!" they chanted, and one demonstrator banged on a drum.
"There are opinions that it was too much to go to emergency martial law, and that we did not follow the procedures for emergency martial law, but it was done strictly within the constitutional framework," a South Korean presidential official told Reuters by telephone.
There has been no reaction yet from North Korea to the drama in the South.
Yoon was embraced by leaders in the West as a partner in the U.S.-led effort to unify democracies against growing authoritarianism in China, Russia and elsewhere.
But he caused unease among South Koreans by branding his critics as "communist totalitarian and anti-state forces" as his approval ratings slipped. In November, he denied wrongdoing in response to influence-peddling allegations against him and his wife and he has taken a hard line against labour unions.
Seoul appeared largely normal on Wednesday, with the usual rush hour traffic in trains and on the streets.
But Hyundai Motor's (005380.KS) labour union announced plans to stage strikes on Thursday and Friday and some major employers, including Naver Corp (035420.KS) and LG Electronics Inc (066570.KS), advised employees to work from home.
Sales of canned goods, instant noodles and bottled water had soared overnight, said a major South Korean convenience store chain, which sought anonymity.
"I'm deeply disturbed by this kind of situation, and I'm very concerned about the future of the country," 39-year-old Seoul resident Kim Byeong-in told Reuters.
The National Assembly can impeach the president if more than two-thirds of lawmakers vote in favour. A trial by the constitutional court follows, which can confirm the motion with a vote by six of the nine justices.
Yoon’s party has 108 seats in the 300-member legislature.
'DODGED A BULLET'
If Yoon resigned or was removed from office, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo would fill in as leader until a new election was held within 60 days.
"South Korea as a nation dodged a bullet, but President Yoon may have shot himself in the foot," Danny Russel, vice president of the Washington-based Asia Society Policy Institute, said of the first martial law declaration in South Korea since 1980.
Blinken said he welcomed Yoon's decision to rescind the martial law declaration.
"We continue to expect political disagreements to be resolved peacefully and in accordance with the rule of law," he said in a statement.
South Korea hosts about 28,500 American troops as a legacy of the 1950-1953 Korean War.
Planned defence talks and a joint military exercise between the two allies were postponed amid the broader diplomatic fallout from the debacle.
South Korea's political situation is an "internal matter", China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi said. Russia said it was following the "tragic" events in South Korea with concern.
Yoon, a career prosecutor, squeezed out a victory in the tightest presidential election in South Korean history in 2022, riding a wave of discontent over economic policy, scandals and gender wars.
But he has been unpopular, with his support ratings hovering at around 20% for months and the opposition captured nearly two-thirds of seats in parliament in an April election.
Martial law been declared more than a dozen times since South Korea was established as a republic in 1948. In 1980, a group of military officers forced then-President Choi Kyu-hah to proclaim martial law to crush calls for the restoration of democratic government.
NB: Reporting by Jack Kim, Ju-min Park, Hyonhee Shin, Hyunsu Yim, Heekyong Yang, Joyce Lee, Josh Smith, Hyunjoo Jin and Cynthia Kim; Additional reporting by Michelle Nichols at the United Nations, David Brunnstrom in Washington, Trevor Hunnicutt in Luanda and Humeyra Pamuk in Brussels; Writing by Stephen Coates, Raju Gopalakrishnan and James Pearson; Editing by Lincoln Feast, Clarence Fernandez, Philippa Fletcher