It is expected that the French parliament will vote today on the no-confidence vote against the new Prime Minister of France, Michel Barnier. Macron chose Michel Barnier to lead, but his government faced serious criticism from far-right and far-left parties. Michel Barnier’s government controls about ⅓ of the Assemblee Nationale and made efforts to pass off its budget. In these efforts, he faced strong opposition from far-right and far-left parties. He knew well that his government could not be successful in passing the budget without favoritism from other members.
Despite knowing that the United Government could still fall short of a majority, Barnier hoped that some members would stand in favor of him and never participate in the voting process. If this happened, it could help his cause.
But his opponents have said clearly that they will never support the idea of a budget and must vote against it. This situation shows the difficulties that France faced due to the leader of the minority government. It also highlights that a lack of support can stop important policies from passing. Today is a crucial day for Barnier. This day reflects the ongoing tension and challenges Barnier’s government faces in securing the necessary backing to govern effectively.
About the bill, the Prime Minister of France Barnier had to make a tough decision.
He could have let it fail and bought more time, but with two more bills to pass before December 20. He had two more pieces of legislation to pass before December 20th, so he could have let it fail and purchased more time.
He decided that it was good to face the complexities instead of the delays. This choice seemed to prevent more delays.
Bariner took help from Article 49.4 of the French Constitution to pass the bill without any delay. According to this article, it is allowed that the French government can pass any bill without getting permission from the French National Assembly. However, utilizing articles has many risks. It provides the deputies with the opportunity to propose a no-confidence motion. If a large number of deputies agreed, then the government could emphasize resigning and leaving power.
In the event that Barnier utilized Article 49.3 to pass the law without a vote, the left-wing organization Nouveau Front Populaire (NFP) threatened to bring a resolution of no confidence.
However, there aren’t enough votes for the NFP to win this motion. As the graph illustrates, the NFP still needs 289 votes to overthrow the government, even if other parties abstain from voting. This indicates that although the NFP has the ability to criticize the administration, it lacks the backing necessary to effect change on its own.
One of the main causes of the current political crisis is Marine Le Pen’s party, Rassemblement National (RN). Whether the RN would back the National Front (NFP) has been the main topic of discussion this week. Despite their efforts, Le Pen and her party have not been able to get enough concessions from the prime minister in their negotiations for fairer conditions. Barnier’s administration may fall if the RN chooses to join the NFP.
Their combined votes might easily surpass the 289 votes required to approve a resolution, despite the fact that the RN and the left-wing bloc are not natural friends. This potential partnership may alter the government’s power structure and have a big effect on Barnier’s standing.
Given France’s escalating financial issues, Barnier is putting a lot of effort into this package. The nation’s debt is growing quickly, and its budget deficit is far more than what the EU allows. According to Barnier, France will lose the trust of the financial markets if it does not move decisively. The bond market’s unfavorable reaction to the protracted crisis lends credence to this worry. France runs the risk of more financial turmoil if it doesn’t take immediate action.
