His days at Matignon seem numbered, yet Michel Barnier spoke this Tuesday, November 26 to take stock of the political situation. Risk of motion of censure, 49.3, resignation… The Prime Minister was invited to TF1's 20 Hours where he first spoke on the finance bill, which divides the National Assembly.
“The moment is very serious“, begins Michel Barnier. “It is the vote on the nation's budget that is in question. It's a time when there are a lot of difficulties”, continues the Prime Minister before returning to the complicated circumstances of his arrival at Matignon. “What interests me is to work with the French for the French, that “There is progress in this government with extremely difficult conditions and we have a budget.”
This budget has still not managed to attract parliamentarians. If Michel Barnier congratulates himself on having let them “debate until the end”, he assures that this text will “probably” go through a 49.3. The budget “has now passed to the Senate, (…) then, there will be a Joint Joint Commission and then a vote probably with a 49.3, because there is no majority in the National Assembly and that This is how I will be obliged to propose to the National Assembly to adopt a budget.”
“Serious turbulence on the financial markets” in the event of government censorship
The executive's forceful passage through article 49.3 could quickly lead to a motion of censure. The National Rally threatens a little more every day to bring down the Barnier government and the left could follow Marine Le Pen in this initiative. Michel Barnier warns of the risks of this censorship.
“If there is an alliance in votes, improbable, but possiblebetween the voices of the extreme left and the voices of the National Rally to which the Socialist Party and the Greens would join, I fall, the government stops. And what is happening? There is no more budget, we will have to resume a discussion, there will be emergency measures. There will probably be a storm and serious turbulence in the financial markets“, warns the Prime Minister. A motion of censure, “is wasted time”, insists Michel Barnier. “I find that there is no time to lose”.
No resignation in sight
Mired in this finance bill, the Prime Minister could be tempted to resign before taking the risk of seeing his government fall in the face of a motion of censure. “But why do you want me to resign,” reacted Michel Barnier dryly. “It's because times are hard that I agreed to do this job“.
“There are so many reasons to be enthusiastic about our country. (…) There are also many reasons to be outraged, against violence against women, against the anti-Semitism which is spreading… That’s what I want to and, as long as I have this same capacity to be indignant and enthusiastic as that which I had 50 years ago, I will be ready to serve”, underlines Michel Barnier who “hopes to be there ” in 2025.
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