The French government is on the verge of resignation: a decisive vote is scheduled for Wednesday
Kyiv • UNN
The French parliament will vote on a vote of no confidence in the government of Michel Barnier. The Prime Minister may become the record holder for the shortest term in office in the modern history of the country.
French parliamentarians will vote on Wednesday afternoon on at least one vote of no confidence, which is likely to lead to the fall of the French government, according to French media reports confirmed by a parliamentary aide, reports UNN with reference to Politico.
On Wednesday at 16:00, lawmakers of the National Assembly are going to discuss several votes of no confidence put forward on Monday after Prime Minister Michel Barnier used a constitutional maneuver to bypass parliament and push through a financial bill on social security. Barnier is likely to lose this vote, as the leftist New Popular Front coalition and the far-right National Front have said they will vote against the government. Together, these two opposition forces have a majority in Parliament.
The removal of Barnier and his cabinet risks exacerbating an already difficult political crisis in Paris and has raised fears in the European Union that France has become unmanageable and burdened with a growing budget deficit.
If Barnier loses the vote, as expected, he will become prime minister with the shortest term in modern French history.
The former EU chief Brexit negotiator was appointed by President Emmanuel Macron in September and given the impossible mission of passing a reduced budget without a parliamentary majority.
Barnier is set to give an interview on French television on Tuesday evening, which could be the last call for lawmakers to refrain from overthrowing the government.
If parliament does remove Barnier, it will be the first time since 1962 that the French government has suffered the humiliation of losing a vote of no confidence.
