France: Government at risk as PM forces budget through

French Prime Minister Michel Barnier on Monday promised to push a budget through the national parliament, a move that the opposition 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 formerly led by Jean-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 National Rally voters." 

"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, LFI) 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 President Emmanuel Macron's alliance in parliament.

The veteran French politician has already survived one confidence vote, in October.

Macron had called the snap vote for July following strong performances of the RN and LFI in European Parliament elections this year.

The move was seen as a gamble, and ultimately one that backfired, strengthening either flank in the National Assembly while reducing the number of lawmakers in Macron's alliance. 

Barnier's government is almost 80 seats shy of commanding a majority without outside assistance.

PM's bid to cut costs a tough sell

The prime minister, who hails from France's traditional center-right UMP that's allied with Macron's bloc in the government, had insisted that France need to trim its national debt of almost €3.3 trillion (almost $3.4 trillion) in 2025's budget. 

As a result, he found himself seeking additional RN support first and foremost, with the tax-and-spend LFI looking even less likely to approve his plans. 

LFI's Mathilde Panot accused Barnier of offering "dishonorable" concessions to RN in the process. 

Investors have been putting pressure on the French government on the markets, with French borrowing costs via sovereign bonds earlier on Monday rising to the same levels as those of Greece, long seen as one of the eurozone's most debt-exposed members.

What happens next? 

The opposition now has 24 hours to put forward a no-confidence motion as advertised. 

A vote could in theory follow as soon as Wednesday. 

No French government has been toppled in this manner since 1962, but the right-wing and left-wing opposition voting in unison would suffice to unseat Barnier's just a few months after its assembly.

msh/rc (AFP, dpa, Reuters)