2 months ago
32
You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load.
A collapse of the government could further unnerve financial markets, since it would put a quick passage of the budget at risk.
Dec. 2, 2024Updated 10:26 a.m. ET
Prime Minister Michel Barnier of France pushed a budget bill through the lower house of Parliament without a vote on Monday — a risky move that sets the stage for a no-confidence motion this week that could topple the government.
The prospect of a government collapse — and of a failure to pass a budget — has rattled financial markets, sharply increased France’s borrowing costs, and further deepened the uncertainty that has gripped the country since snap elections last summer yielded no clear parliamentary majority.
“I don’t think the French would forgive us for putting individual interests ahead of the nation’s future,” Mr. Barnier told lawmakers shortly before invoking a constitutional tool that allows him to push a bill through the lower house without a vote. “French people are calling for and expecting stability.”
But the move exposes his government to no-confidence motions — which both French left-wing parties and Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally party quickly said they would file, with a vote expected as early as Wednesday.
The fate of Mr. Barnier and of his cabinet, both appointed by President Emmanuel Macron just three months ago, now rests in their hands.
Mr. Macron, whose term runs until the spring of 2027, will remain as president even if Mr. Barnier and his cabinet fall. But Mr. Macron will need to appoint a new prime minister.
