Elisabeth Borne engaged, this Wednesday, October 18, the responsibility of the government on the revenue part of the draft budget for 2024 through article 49.3 of the Constitution, which allows adoption without a vote but exposes itself to a motion of censure, arguing that the country “need” this “fundamental text”.
“The observation is clear: no opposition group is ready to vote for this finance bill. However, our country needs this budget”, “keystone of our public policies” and “response to the concerns of French women and of the French”, justified the Prime Minister before the National Assembly, where she does not have an absolute majority.
This is the thirteenth 49.3 for Elisabeth Borne. She should still use it around ten times between now and the end of the year, in particular to pass the State and Social Security budgets without a vote. Last year, the head of government allowed the debates to take place for a week in the chamber. Not this time.
49.3 interrupts them even before the examination of the introductory article, which includes in the law the forecast of public deficit at 4.4% of GDP in 2024. It had been rejected in committee just like the whole of this revenue section. The triggering of this constitutional weapon was an open secret. “The debate has taken place”, warned the general budget rapporteur Jean-René Cazeneuve (Renaissance) in committee on Monday.
In reaction, the LFI group immediately announced that it would submit a motion of censure, at this stage without the other left-wing groups, in the midst of the tearing apart of the left-wing Nupes coalition. “The PS refused to accept,” indicated the Insoumis Eric Coquerel.
The RN will also file one, denouncing a “total lack of respect for the debate” in Parliament. The Prime Minister and her government have always escaped censure until now, and these new motions have almost no chance of doing better as long as the Republicans do not join them.