French Prime Minister Michel Barnier’s fate is uncertain as both far-right and left-wing parties push for a vote of no-confidence. If successful, Barnier’s coalition will become the first French government to be forced out by such a vote since 1962.
The situation was triggered by Barnier’s announcement that he intended to push a social security bill through parliament without a vote, following an unsuccessful last-minute concession. Mathilde Panot of the left-wing France Unbowed stated that she would no longer tolerate actions undermining democracy.
As for Marine Le Pen, leader of the National Rally (RN), she declared that her nation had had enough, pointing out that despite Barnier becoming prime minister in early September, he had worsened the situation. She and her party have agreed to support the left-wing coalition’s no-confidence bill in addition to their own.
The RN had supported Barnier’s government until he proposed a budget bill, which included €60 billion ($63 billion) in tax hikes and spending cuts aimed at curbing France’s soaring public deficit. Both sides blamed each other for the failure to reach a deal, despite claiming they had made their best efforts.
Meanwhile, Barnier argued that by supporting the no-confidence vote, lawmakers would be prioritizing individual interests over the country’s future. He urged them not to support the vote, which is likely to be held on Wednesday.
However, even if Barnier is forced to resign, French President Emmanuel Macron could keep him and his government in a caretaker role until a new prime minister is selected. Alternatively, he could appoint a government of technocrats without a specific political agenda to help survive the no-confidence vote.
Regarding the budget, if parliament cannot adopt it by December 20, the caretaker government could pass it using constitutional powers. However, this move would likely face resistance and legal uncertainties over whether a caretaker government can legally exercise such powers.
A more likely course of action would be for the caretaker government to propose special emergency legislation to extend the current spending limits and tax provisions into the next year. However, this would result in Barnier’s planned savings measures being discarded.
