French Premier to ‘Probably’ Bypass Parliament Vote for Budget
(Bloomberg) -- France’s prime minister said he’ll “probably” need to bypass a vote in parliament to get the nation’s budget adopted.
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Michel Barnier said in an interview with the newspaper Ouest-France published Thursday night that he would likely have to use Article 49.3 of the Constitution at the conclusion of debate to skirt a National Assembly vote “given what happened” during budget talks.
Even so, the government has “chosen to let the debates unfold,” Barnier said.
On Tuesday, French lawmakers rejected a heavily amended version of the country’s proposed 2025 budget, sending the debate over how to plug holes in public finances to the senate.
Barnier’s government is under pressure to reduce France’s ballooning budget deficit amid sluggish economic growth, while President Emmanuel Macron’s plans to narrow the gap have repeatedly slipped off course. The challenge was made harder by Macron’s decision to call snap elections in June, leaving France with a minority government that could easily be toppled by parliament.
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