Marine Le Pen Is Holding France Hostage

Opinion|France Is Being Held Hostage

France’s government has fallen.

In dramatic scenes at the National Assembly on Wednesday, the government — led by Prime Minister Michel Barnier — lost a no-confidence vote, effectively ending it. Not since 1962 has a French government been forced out this way.

The collapse capped a frenzied few days in French politics. Last weekend there were signs that the government’s budget, which included around $60 billion of tax increases and spending cuts, wouldn’t pass in Parliament. That was despite Mr. Barnier, whose minority administration relied on votes from other parties, making several concessions to Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally.

He removed a tax hike on electricity bills, cut medical aid for undocumented migrants and redoubled a commitment to pass an even more restrictive immigration bill. On Monday, the government offered a desperate final concession, scrapping an increase on patient contributions for prescriptions.

It wasn’t enough. When it became clear that Mr. Barnier wouldn’t have the numbers to pass the budget bill, he chose to push it through without a vote, opening him to the prospect of a no-confidence motion. Ms. Le Pen soon confirmed she would vote against the government, along with the coalition of left-wing parties known as the New Popular Front. The result was foretold. The government, just three months after its formation, was no more.

Nobody knows what comes next. What’s certain, however, is the strength and power of the far right in France today. Its ambitions and aspirations already dominate the country; now it’s shown it can take down a government. France is being held hostage, with no end in sight.

This crisis has been coming. Since President Emmanuel Macron’s decision to call a snap summer election, from which no political group emerged with a majority, the situation has been unstable. Initially, with Parliament divided into three almost equal blocs, Mr. Macron played for time. The New Popular Front, which won the most seats but was far short of a majority, demanded he choose a candidate from their camp to be prime minister. Instead, Mr. Macron looked right — to Mr. Barnier, a longtime conservative politician. In September, he was announced as prime minister.