49.3, an article of the Constitution unpopular with the French but which remains an option for the executive. In statements to the press this Wednesday, October 23, the Government spokesperson, Maud Bregeon, estimated that her appeal is being examined “preventively” for the moment for the vote on the finance bill.
But the Government’s use of this article of the Constitution, which allows a text to be adopted without a vote in Parliament, is viewed negatively by the majority of French people.
A reduction in public spending “is not credible”
According to a poll “L’Opinion en direct” for BFMTV published this Wednesday, October 23, 58% of French people believe that “it would be unacceptable if the budget bill were approved according to article 49.3 and not by a vote in Parliament” . even if the debate must be long.
On the contrary, 31% believe that “if the parliamentary debate drags on for too long, it would be normal for Michel Barnier to use article 49.3 to approve the budget without a vote.” Only 9% of those surveyed consider that “the Prime Minister should use article 49.3 from the beginning of the debates in the National Assembly.”
This Monday, discussions on the 2025 budget began in the National Assembly. The text plans to reduce public spending by 40,000 million euros, according to the Government. A hypothesis considered “not credible” by 74% of those surveyed.
In addition to a reduction in spending, the bill provides for a tax increase, especially for large companies and the richest. But the majority of respondents (66%) fear a “general tax increase.” On the contrary, 33% of them think that “tax increases will only affect the richest households.”
Michel Barnier, who arrived at the Matignon hotel on September 5, is far from uniting the French behind his project. 61% of French people surveyed believe that “Michel Barnier’s first steps and decisions are going in the wrong direction.” A drop of 13% compared to the last survey, carried out on October 1 and 2.
Sample of 1,005 people representative of residents in mainland France aged 18 and over. The representativeness of the sample was ensured according to the quota method applied to the following variables: sex, age and profession of the interviewee after stratification by region and agglomeration category. Online survey from October 22 to 23, 2024.
Source: BFM TV
