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France In Turmoil: PM Bayrou Faces Ouster For Pushing Budget Without Parliamentary Vote

Bayrou intends to use executive powers to pass the budget, triggering potential political instability. The move could lead to a no-confidence vote, depending on opposition unity.

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France In Turmoil: PM Bayrou Faces Ouster For Pushing Budget Without Parliamentary Vote

Political uncertainty is deepening in France as Prime Minister Francois Bayrou is set to resort to special executive powers to approve the national budget without a vote in parliament. His move to invoke Article 49.3 of the French constitution, which allows legislation to be adopted without approval but leaves the government vulnerable to a no-confidence motion, will decide his political future.

Bayrou’s decision will probably prompt an opposition backlash, and a vote of confidence looms. In December, a similar crisis made then-Prime Minister Michel Barnier step down after failing to gain parliamentary approval for the budget.

French lawmakers will debate the state budget conclusions on Monday, followed by discussions on the social security budget later in the week. “A country like ours cannot function without a budget. The only way forward is government responsibility,” Bayrou told La Tribune Dimanche.

The National Assembly remains highly polarized since June’s snap elections, when no party was able to obtain a clear majority. President Emmanuel Macron had first appointed Barnier to resolve the crisis, but his austerity budget, cutting €40 billion in spending and raising €20 billion in taxes, only fuelled political tensions.

A concession Bayrou has made is maintaining an extra tax on large corporations, increasing the financial transaction tax, and scrapping plans to cut 4,000 jobs in education.

Leftist parties already approved a no-confidence motion. Communist and Green lawmakers say they will vote for it, but Marine Le Pen’s National Rally remains undecided. Socialist lawmakers will be key in Bayrou’s survival.

Although winning some policy changes, the Socialists still are skeptical. “The prime minister made good on some commitments, but they remain insufficient,” the party said. Bayrou’s fate now depends on whether he can gain enough parliamentary support for holding up to the challenge ahead.