Political crisis in France | The government is increasing its concessions to the far right

(Paris) French Prime Minister Michel Barnier tried Thursday to convince the far right to give up censoring him, but the National Rally still threatens to overthrow him if he does not respond to its other “red lines” by Monday .

According to the center-right minority government, censorship in the National Assembly would cause an economic and financial “storm” in the country, the second largest economy in the euro zone, but a European dunce in terms of budget deficit.

The possibility of a France without a government is already making the markets tremble. France’s borrowing rate exceeded for the first time on Wednesday, briefly, that of Greece, a country which had come close to bankruptcy.

A few days before crucial deadlines on the budgetary texts, the Prime Minister announced that he was renouncing to increase taxes on electricity beyond their level before the price shield against inflation. “This will allow a drop in electricity prices of 14%, which will therefore go well beyond the 9% drop initially planned,” he said in an interview with Figaro.

He also accedes, at least in part, to the RN’s request to reduce state medical aid for undocumented immigrants. Michel Barnier wants the care provided to be “significantly” reduced, and promises to initiate “a reform” of aid next year “to avoid abuse and misappropriation”, one of the constant demands of the far right and part of the right on immigration.

The president of the RN, Jordan Bardella, quickly congratulated himself on X for a “victory” on electricity, but added that “red lines remain” for his party.

Despite these concessions, “there are still difficulties”, added the leader of the far right Marine Le Pen in The Worldsetting an ultimatum to the head of government. The Prime Minister “has until Monday” to respond, she warned.

Monday is in fact the deadline for the government to amend its draft budget for Social Security. But Marine Le Pen is still calling for the revaluation of the pensions of all retirees on 1^is January and the cancellation of drug reimbursements initially planned.

At the head of the largest group in the National Assembly and holding the destiny of the government in her hands, she now adds that the executive must specify how it intends to financially compensate for its concessions.

Formed on September 21 at the end of several weeks of political crisis following the unexpected dissolution of the National Assembly by President Emmanuel Macron in June, the government is particularly fragile.

Deficit “around 5%”

He is playing for his survival in the face of the motion of censure that the RN threatens to vote with the left, perhaps as early as next week. The Lepenist party also supports the New Popular Front (left-wing coalition bringing together the radical left, socialists and ecologists) in its attempt on Thursday to repeal the much-criticised pension reform.

On the budget, the executive said it was immediately ready to “improve” the texts which provided for 60 billion euros of effort in 2025 in order to clean up a very deteriorated public deficit expected at 6.1% of GDP This year.

But these “adjustments” do not “reset [pas] “in question” France’s “commitments” vis-à-vis the European Commission, Michel Barnier assured Thursday.

“We are doing everything to stay around 5%” deficit in 2025, he said, while France is already being singled out by Brussels for its accounts and is awaiting the decision of the S&P rating agency on its debt on Friday. evening.

Calls for resignation

In another gesture, towards the far right and the presidential camp, who want at all costs to preserve reductions in business charges, Michel Barnier confirmed Thursday that they would not be reduced for salaries up to at 2.25 minimum wage.

On the left, the concessions to the RN caused an outcry.

“The Prime Minister definitely turns his back on the Republican front,” reacted the boss of the Socialists Olivier Faure, accusing Michel Barnier of turning “towards the extreme right” to “avoid censorship”, in an “alliance of shame”. » sealed on “restriction of state medical aid”.

Former President François Hollande, for his part, rejected calls for Emmanuel Macron to resign in the event of censorship, calls coming from the radical left, the far right or certain right-wing politicians.

“Having a presidential election in the state the world is in, in the situation the country is in with the markets watching us? Do you think this is the right solution? No, I don’t believe it,” he said, while explaining that he would vote for censure in the Assembly.

According to an Elabe poll for BFMTV, 63% of French people questioned believe that the president should resign if the government was censored.