The French government does not have a majority in parliament and is dependent on the mercy of the right-wing populist Marine Le Pen. However, she is in a dilemma because she does not want to be responsible for the standstill and chaos. And President Emmanuel Macron could still play a trump card.
The French government led by Prime Minister Michel Barnier is facing a political dilemma: several budget laws must be passed by the end of the year, but the risk of a vote of no confidence in every single vote could lead to the fall of the government. Since the new elections in June, Barnier no longer has a majority in the National Assembly.
Barnier could resort to a controversial constitutional law that allows the government to pass budget laws without a vote. The problem: Opposition leader Marine Le Pen of the right-wing extremist party Rassemblement National, on whose mercy the government depends, announced a vote of no confidence in the event of new taxes.
But she is in a dilemma, as Landry Charrier, Associate Fellow at the Center for Advanced Security, Strategic and Integration Studies (CASSIS) at the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn tells ‘Krone’: ‘She may not be responsible for chaos , because she needs the civilian votes for the presidential elections. And they abhor chaos. However, a large part of its own base wants to overthrow the government. However, Le Pen wants to be seen as constructive and not destructive.” However, this is Barnier’s tool: “It is a battle of stories: Barnier warns of serious turbulence in the financial markets, Le Pen tries to calm the French. “
If the government loses the vote of no confidence, it would only be in the role of interim president, which would pose the challenge for President Macron to appoint a new prime minister. But even a new head of government would find himself in a similar situation: without a clear parliamentary majority, political deadlock could continue, which would continue to put the government in an extremely precarious position. “Many French people have the impression that they are at a dead end and cannot get out.”
Final clarity will be provided on this before Christmas. Barnier must then present an adjusted budget plan. And then everything depends on Le Pen’s behavior. If the government loses a vote of no confidence and there is no new majority in parliament, President Macron can play one last card: he resigns and calls new elections for the presidency. “Then the cards would be reshuffled,” Charrier said.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
