French Prime Minister Michel Barnier on Monday promised to push a budget through the national parliament, a move that the opposition have said would trigger a confidence vote against his minority government.
After failing to win support from the far-right opposition with a
last-minute concession, Barnier said he would use article 49.3 of France’s constitution to force the plans through without a vote.
Barnier told the chamber that “France needs a budget” for 2025 — with time now very short — and urged lawmakers not to back the likely subsequent vote against his government.
“We are at a moment of truth,” Barnier told parliament as he
put his government’s fate in its hands. “The French will not
forgive us for putting the interests of individuals before the
future of the country.”
Le Pen says RN will table confidence vote in response
The far-right National Rally (RN) party of Marine Le Pen and the left-wing bloc led by Luc Melenchon had already warned Barnier that they would seek a confidence vote in his government in this case.
RN leader Marine Le Pen said afterwards that Barnier “did not wish to respond to the request of the 11 million voters of the National Rally.”
“He said that everyone will assume their responsibilities, so we will assume ours,” Le Pen said. “We are tabling a motion of censure and we will vote to censure the government.”
Mathilde Panot, of the hard-left France Unbowed (La France Insoumise) parliamentary group — the second largest in the chamber after RN — similarly said her party would seek to topple Barnier’s government “faced with this umpteenth denial of democracy.”
“We are living in political chaos because of Michel Barnier’s government and Emmanuel Macron’s presidency,” Panot said.
Minority government reliant on opposition support
Barnier and his government were only appointed in September after snap summer elections that weakened the position of PresidentEmmanuel Macron’s alliance in parliament.
The veteran French politician has already survived one confidence vote, in October.
This is a developing story. More to follow.
msh/rc (AFP, Reuters)
