The latest concessions from Michel Barnier to Marine Le Pen will not have changed anything, the National Rally has announced its intention to vote on the motion of censure against the government which should be debated on Wednesday afternoon. The fate of the Prime Minister therefore already seems sealed. Michel Barnier is probably living his last hours in Matignon. It is now Emmanuel Macron who will have to take control and find a successor to the one who will only have remained in office for 90 days if the motion of censure is passed…
4 mins
with Valérie Gas And Victor Willaumefrom the political service
In France, the Prime Minister is probably living his last hours.
Yesterday Monday, Michel Barnier for the first time activated on 49.3 to try to pass the Social Security budget. A decision, which should lead him to fall this week, since the left has in fact immediately tabled a motion of censure, which the far right announces to support during the vote on Wednesday.
Emmanuel Macron was still on the plane taking him to Saudi Arabia where he was scheduled to make a three-day state visit when the news broke. Marine Le Pen announced that her party would vote for censorship with the left, to overthrow the government. The Barnier method has failed the RN and the Prime Minister seems condemned to leave Matignon.
For Emmanuel Macron – who took almost two months to choose him in the hope of guaranteeing a certain stability – this would mean a return to square one, but this time in circumstances of extreme budgetary emergency. The consequences of the fall of the government could be serious, this is what has been repeated in recent days in the presidential camp. This Tuesday morning again, on the public television channel France 2, Antoine Armand the Minister of the Economy of the vote of censorship: “ We have done our utmost so that the political forces in Parliament can either support us or not censor this budget. Because it is not the budget that we are censoring, it is not the government that we are censoring behind, it is the country that we are endangering, it is the country that we are damaging”he said.
Who to replace Michel Barnier?
Several questions arise, starting with: who to replace Michel Barnier? Will Emmanuel Macron appoint a left-wing personality? In the presidential camp, the question makes you think. “ I don’t know what’s next, Eric Woerth tells us, you can have the appointment of a new government quite quickly; it could be Michel Barnier by the way. »
There is no need for a technical government, but why not a coalition which brings together the center, the right and part of the left, defends Philippe Vigier, from Modem. “ Are all the forces of the republican arc ready to go to government? »
On the side of National gatheringwe believe that we should not fear chaos and we maintain pressure on the executive. “ There will be a government in the coming days which will (start) from a blank copy, and we will have a budget in the coming weeks if the red lines are heard by the government. »
The Insoumis, who have wanted Michel Barnier to leave from the start, have a ready-made program for the president, as Eric Coquerel explains to us: “ He has two solutions. The first is a New Popular Front government, otherwise the pressure will increase on it. Emmanuel Macron’s resignation is completely credible! »
“add mess to mess”
The pressure therefore returns to Emmanuel Macron. Institutionally, it is he who is responsible for appointing a successor to Michel Barnier if the motion of censure is passed. And no more procrastinating. But this situation of political crisis also places him in the sights of oppositions who accuse him of being responsible for the instability and are already demanding his resignation.
By appointing Michel Barnier, Emmanuel Macron hoped for stability. Except for a twist: it’s a failed bet. Like a boomerang, his decision to dissolve the Assembly continues to place him in the hot seat, but for a minister of Michel Barnier, the resignation of the president would not ” what to add to the mess “.