Jordan Bardella, president of the French far-right National Rally, said Monday morning that his party will vote to topple Prime Minister Michel Barnier’s government over its proposed budget “barring a last-minute miracle.”
“The budget presented by the government is a budget of punishment that will weaken the purchasing power of our compatriots,” Bardella told French radio RTL. Unless Barnier makes key changes, the National Rally will vote in favor of a motion of no confidence, Bardella said — adding he had “little hope” of a shift from the prime minister.
Bardella’s comments come ahead of a crucial few days for France, with the reverberations likely to be felt across Europe.
In just a few hours on Monday, lawmakers are set to gather in the National Assembly to vote on next year’s social security budget, with Barnier aiming to regain control over France’s spiraling deficit. If Barnier tries to circumvent a vote, the political opposition could cause his government to fall.
Barnier, who has only been prime minister since September, had initially planned €40 billion in spending cuts and €20 billion in tax hikes, but has been forced to make some concessions.
Barnier’s center-right government lacks a parliamentary majority, forcing him to rely on indirect support from the far right.
Responding to Bardella’s comments, French government spokesperson Maud Bregeon said: “We are still ready to negotiate, our door is always open.”
Bardella however claimed his party has been ignored on the negotiations for months.
“Everything we have proposed in the interest of the French, all the amendments we have tabled in recent weeks, everything has been knowingly despised, ignored,” he said.
“But Michel Barnier has forgotten that he is at the head of a government that does not have a majority in the National Assembly, that has no democratic legitimacy in the country,” he added.
Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau warned that if the government collapses over the budget, “there will immediately be a financial crisis.”
“Don’t think that France is shielded,” he said.
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