The executive has frozen its position since an interview on Saturday evening with Budget Minister Laurent Saint-Martin, supported by Matignon, “Libération” has learned. Faced with this intransigence, the president of the RN assured this Monday, December 2 in the morning that his deputies will vote for censorship in the event of use of 49.3 this Monday afternoon.
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The Barnier government will have difficulty getting through the coming week. After threats throughout the weekend about possible censorship in the context of the vote on the Social Security budget, Jordan Bardella continued to increase pressure on the Barnier government this Monday, December 2 in the morning on RTL. “Yes, it’s folded”. “The National Rally will activate the voting mechanism of the weapon of censorshipexcept obviously, last minute miracle, if Michel Barnier were to review his copy by 3 p.m. But I have little hope that he will be touched by grace”declared the president of the National Rally, confirming the party's intention to vote on a motion of censure with the left to bring down the government.
After having obtained that the government abandons the increase in taxes on electricity and reduces state medical aid (AME) for undocumented immigrants, the RN demanded new concessions, in particular on the revaluation of retirement pensions or a a look back at the reduction in reimbursement for certain medications. But “the Minister of Budget, Laurent Saint-Martin spoke yesterday indicating that the government no longer intends to move”Jordan Bardella noted.
The position of the executive seems to have been fixed via an interview with the Minister of the Budget, Laurent Saint-Martin, who ruled out any new concession in the Parisian Saturday evening. An interview in which, the far-right leader vituperated on Sunday afternoon, the government “ended the discussions” with his party. And Le Pen demanded at around the same time, via his entourage at France Info, that the Prime Minister “disavows” Saint-Martin.
“She is free to ask. For our part, we have nothing to add or take away from the interview. replied to Libé the office of the Minister of the Budget early Sunday evening, making us understand that the Prime Minister supported them in this standoff: “We are in constant contact” with Michel Barnier's team, who reread the interview carefully before its publication. On the Matignon side, we were limited to one «no comment» on this new request from the boss of the far-right party, now be “always open to dialogue” more “with respect for parliamentary work”.
“Be accountable”
Because in addition to the all-out dramatization of the consequences of censorship and rejection of the Budget, this is the new argument of the executive to refuse to further satisfy the RN: the joint joint committee approved last week the PLFSS and modifying the balance of the text a posteriori would amount to sitting on Parliament. The ultimatum that Le Pen had given to Barnier, leaving him “until Monday”therefore expires.
The government remains “open to dialogue” with the RN but to find a compromise, “it takes two”insisted this Monday morning the government spokesperson, Maud Bregeon, suggesting that the executive could evolve on the dereimbursement of medicines, one of the red lines of the RN. “The best interest of the country is that this country has a budget and does not sink into uncertainty”she stressed on Europe1/Cnews, warning that “each deputy” left or RN voting for censorship “will be held accountable in his constituency”.
If each side can still fold between now and 3 p.m. and the triggering, or not, of 49.3 on the PLFSS, Michel Barnier seems determined to press the button. He will bring together the group presidents of his majority in the Assembly and the Senate at 1:45 p.m., to confirm to them his desire to activate the famous article and hold his government accountable. In this case, the motion of censure will be examined on Wednesday or Thursday. There will then be no more bluffs that will hold.
Update : at 9:51 a.m., with the addition of reactions from Libé within the cabinets of Laurent Saint-Martin and Michel Barnier, as well as the meeting planned by the Prime Minister with the presidents of groups.
