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PARIS: French lawmakers will vote on Wednesday (today) on a no-confidence motion that is sure to oust Michel Barnier’s fragile coalition, deepening the political crisis in the eurozone’s second-largest economy.
Barring a last-minute surprise, Barniers would be the first French government in more than 60 years to be ousted by a no-confidence vote, at a time when the country is struggling to overcome a huge budget deficit.
Debate is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. (1500 GMT), with a vote expected about three hours later, parliament officials said. President Emmanuel Macron is due to return to France from an official visit to Saudi Arabia during the day.
The collapse of the government will leave a hole in the heart of Europe, with Germany also in election mode, weeks before US President-elect Donald Trump re-enters the White House.
Interior Minister Bruno Retellio said that if the government were to be condemned, it would put France and the French in an intolerable situation, adding that those backing the no-confidence motion were playing Russian roulette with its future. .
Budget Minister Laurent Saint-Martin said scrapping the government and its budget plans would mean bigger deficits and more instability.
Risk premium Investor demand for French government debt rather than German bunds was near its highest level in more than 12 years on Tuesday.
After weeks of tension, the political crisis came to a head when Barnier, who had been prime minister for barely three months, said he would try to vote the social security part of the budget through parliament after failing to win Marine’s support. will do Le Pen’s far-right national rally.
Barnier’s delegation and Le Pen’s camp, which is leading a minority coalition, each blamed the other and said they had done everything possible to reach an agreement on the budget.
“Criticism of the budget is the only way the constitution gives us to protect the French,” Le Pen told reporters as she arrived in parliament.
The left and far-right combined have enough votes to topple Barnier, and Le Pen has confirmed her party will vote on the left-wing coalition’s no-confidence motion. The RN’s own no-confidence motion will not get the support of enough lawmakers.
Barnier, who is due to be interviewed on television news programs around 1920 GMT, had earlier warned lawmakers that dissolving his government would “make everything difficult” for France.
His draft budget sought to reduce the fiscal deficit, which is expected to exceed 6 percent of national output this year, by raising taxes and cutting spending to 60 billion euros ($63 billion). are included. It sought to cut the deficit to 5 percent next year, with ratings agencies closely monitoring progress.
If the no-confidence vote passes, Macron could ask Barnier to remain in a caretaker role as he searches for a new prime minister, which could be as early as next year.
As for the budget, if parliament does not pass it by December 20, the caretaker government could propose emergency legislation to roll over the spending cap and tax provisions from this year. But that would mean the austerity measures Barnier had planned would fall by the wayside.
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