French leader Emmanuel Macron faced the biggest crisis of his young presidency on Wednesday following the resignation of the head of the armed forces, whom he had rebuked for criticising defence spending cuts.
The row between Mr Macron and General Pierre De Villiers blew up last week when the chief of staff told a parliamentary committee he would not allow the armed forces to be “screwed” by the government’s plans to slash 850 million euros ($980 million) from this year’s budget.
Mr Macron, 39, slapped down the 60-year-old, five-star general, telling army top brass at their annual summer party “I am the boss” and that he deeply regretted that the budget dispute had been dragged into the “public sphere”.
In a newspaper interview at the weekend, Mr Macron added if there was a difference of opinion, “it is the chief of the defence staff who will change his position”.
The row has provoked a debate about whether Mr Macron had humiliated his military chief or whether he had no choice but to exert his authority just two months into his presidency.
