MOSCOW, October 7. /TASS/. The departure of yet another government brings France to a standstill; Hamas is losing support among the Palestinian people; and the European Parliament is discussing two votes of no-confidence in the European Commission president. These stories topped Tuesday’s newspaper headlines across Russia.
Media: Resignation of yet another government brings France to standstill
France remains mired in a political turmoil with Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu stepping down after less than a month in office. He is the seventh premier to be forced to resign under President Emmanuel Macron, Izvestia writes.
Lecornu’s resignation after 27 days of his tenure is an unprecedented event in France, political scientist Maria Frolova said. According to her, a serious political struggle around the formation of a stable parliamentary majority is the main cause. Lecornu failed to gain parliament’s backing. What triggered the most criticism was his cabinet that wasn’t much different from the previous one, which was viewed as a rejection of genuine reform.
"The causes of the crisis lie in the balance of political forces in the lower chamber of France’s parliament, which consists of deeply polarized factions. Most of them belong to the far-right and the far-left, with only a relatively small bloc supporting Macron in the center," Sergey Fyodorov, leading researcher with the Department of Social and Political Studies at the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Europe, explained.
"I don’t know how Macron will be escaping the situation because the fate of anyone he appoints will hang by a thread. The opposition demands a revision of pension reform and other concessions that the president refuses to make," Fyodorov noted.
Yevgenia Obichkina, professor at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations’ Department of International Relations and Foreign Policy, told Nezavisimaya Gazeta that as for Macron’s resignation, it’s impossible. "The Fifth Republic's Constitution does not provide for impeachment due to a loss of confidence among parliament members. The president can be removed from power only due to his physical or mental incapacity or high treason," the analyst explained.
In her view, Macron is likely to seek centrist backing. "This is what the presidential team needs to retain power and the tools to make political decisions," the expert elaborated. However, Macron may be expected to create the most unusual political alliances, Obichkina added.
Izvestia: Hamas loses support among Palestinians
Confidence in Hamas has waned in Palestinian society by the second anniversary of the October 7, 2023 events. Opinion polls indicate that a shrinking number of people believe the Hamas attack on Israel served national goals, and their faith in the movement’s success in the war is quickly fading. Experts interviewed by Izvestia agree that the situation reflects Palestinian society's growing war fatigue.
Neither the Palestinian National Authority nor Hamas currently has a clear postwar strategy, Palestinian sociologist Sari Hanafi said. According to him, Hamas has lost strength in political terms and although the group’s resistance continues, there is no hope that it will play a significant role in the aftermath of the conflict.
Polls show that 48% of Gaza Strip residents support the protests that have taken place in recent months, demanding Hamas relinquish power in the enclave. Palestinian expert Muhammad al-Masri believes that the surveys mirror reality as Israel’s response to the Hamas attack has led to mass civilian casualties among Palestinians and large-scale devastation. This doesn’t mean that the Palestinians are abandoning resistance but raises doubts about Hamas’ ability to achieve notable results in the current situation, the expert noted. In his opinion, Gaza’s future will largely depend on the implementation of US President Donald Trump’s plan.
Iraqi expert Safaa al-Asam points out that the current public mood in Palestine highlights deep frustration with traditional movements. According to him, declining confidence in Hamas and the weak legitimacy of the Palestinian National Authority are creating a power vacuum in Gaza. People are weary of war and destruction, and Palestinians increasingly question who can bring stability and security. The expert stresses that the will to resist Israel still exists, but it is now more often expressed through the pursuit of political alternatives and efforts to pressure the current authorities.
That said, the issue of post-conflict settlement remains highly complicated, while the absence of authority is leading to uncertainty as it’s unclear who could ensure stability and safety in Palestine once the conflict ends.
Izvestia: Lawmakers debate two no-confidence votes in European Commission chief
A failed environmental policy, support for Ukraine, inadequate measures to address migration issues, and alignment with the Atlantic agenda are the main grievances against European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. On October 6, the European Parliament began discussions of two votes of no-confidence in her, with voting scheduled for October 9. Experts doubt that the motion will pass, but the very procedure, the second in six months, will seriously harm the commission’s reputation, Izvestia notes.
A European Commission chief is facing two votes of no-confidence simultaneously for the first time ever. Notably, the motions were initiated by factions from opposite ends of the political spectrum — the far-right group Patriots for Europe and The Left.
However, as with the July no-confidence vote, the new effort won’t result in the European Commission president’s resignation, experts say. "The likelihood of the Ursula von der Leyen-led commission’s resignation remains low, but it will be interesting to see how voting proceeds in the European Parliament compared with July, when she faced similar accusations from lawmakers," said Darya Moiseyeva, chief analyst at the autonomous non-profit organization Kolaboratoriya.
Still, the growing number of attempts to pass a vote of no-confidence indicates a deepening crisis within European governing institutions, political scientist Yegor Belyachkov emphasized.
Even if von der Leyen is removed from office, there is at least one area of European policy that will stay unchanged, continued support for Ukraine in its conflict with Russia, experts note. The political mainstream that has taken shape in most European countries over the past few years, which is ready to back Kiev until the end, retains strong positions and has no intention yet to yield, Belyachkov explained.
The European Parliament plays a role in approving legally binding decisions, but the institution’s powers are insufficient to reshape the strategy defined by the European Council, Moiseyeva pointed out.
Kommersant: Gold prices hit another record
Gold prices have reached a fresh all-time high, steadily nearing the $4,000 per troy ounce mark. Prices have been climbing for the seventh straight week, rising by almost 19% overall. Demand for gold is growing amid heightened concerns over investments in US treasuries, particularly due to the threat of a government shutdown, Kommersant writes.
According to Bloomberg, gold assets of exchange-traded funds rose by more than 20 metric tons to 3,025 tons last week, marking the highest point since September 28, 2022. The assets have expanded by 156.7 tons since mid-August. The last time investment in gold increased at such a pace was in March 2022, amid the West’s move to cut trade ties with Russia.
"The political turmoil in the United States and the looming government shutdown are further eroding confidence in the dollar, spurring investment in gold," Nikita Bredikhin, leading investment analyst at Go Invest, said. US treasuries have for decades been the core of institutional portfolios, but today, their status is deteriorating, with the reasons extending beyond just the government shutdown, which markets have long adapted to.
"The issue is that this episode reflects a deeper erosion of confidence not only in the political system and fiscal discipline but also in the debt issuance and servicing mechanism. The Federal Reserve is softening its tone, yet it cannot manage the fiscal situation, with the deficit approaching 7% of GDP and debt servicing costs already matching defense spending," Alyona Nikolayeva, portfolio manager at Astero Falcon, noted.
As a result, US treasuries are no longer perceived as a safe asset, prompting investors to seek alternatives, and gold is emerging as the most likely one. According to Nikolayeva, gold "has no issuer whose assurances must be trusted, and there is no debt burden, hence no risk of default." "If a second wave of inflation and devaluation hits, a price above $4,500 per troy ounce will not seem unrealistic," the expert concluded.
Kommersant: Russian coal shipments rise year-on-year
Russian coal exports fell by 5% in September from August, Kommersant reports, citing data from the Center of Price Indexes. However, volumes increased by 22% compared to September 2024, and exports rose by 3.8% year-on-year.
According to the Center of Price Indexes, the bulk of exports went through Far Eastern ports. Exporters are prioritizing eastern routes because of better prices, which are higher than those at western ports, strong demand in South Korea and China, and enhanced railway logistics. China remained the largest buyer of Russian coal in September, increasing purchases by 3% month-on-month, along with South Korea and Turkey, which boosted exports by 3% last month. Notably, coal supplies to the country jumped by 36% compared to last year.
Kirill Lysenko, sovereign and regional rating analyst at the Expert RA agency, says that in China, industries usually slow and logistics facilities, including ports, operate in a limited mode at the beginning of October due to a national holiday. However, in his words, businesses resume operations after October 8-10, sharply raising the burden on the energy system as electricity consumption grows, so power stations begin to actively use coal reserves. Lysenko adds that routine work to build up reserves for the winter begins in the second half of the month, increasing demand for coal, including imported supplies.
Meanwhile, forced discounts may continue to pressure Russian suppliers, further lowering the actual selling price and affecting cost-effectiveness, said Sergey Grishunin, managing director at the NRA rating service.
However, not everyone is pessimistic. Alexander Titov, an expert with the Institute of Energy and Finances, believes that exports will remain higher than last year in the fourth quarter of 2025. "Even though prices rebounded in the summer, they are still low, so now, they should be expected to slightly increase rather than continue to fall," he pointed out.
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