Will Michel Barnier remain Prime Minister in the coming days? The pressure on Matignon’s tenant increases, under the influence of an ultimatum issued by Marine Le Pen, leader of the deputies of the National Rally, who gave Michel Barnier “until Monday” to make new concessions to the extreme right.
But several ministers do not believe that the three-time presidential candidate will go ahead with her ideas and trigger government censorship, considering that she has no interest in taking action and that her political benefit would be limited.
Le Pen “must take responsibility for what happens”
“He has more interest in going to the presidential elections than the legislative ones,” judges a minister. “However, the president will not resign, so censure is not in his immediate interest.” A regular interlocutor of the President of the Republic observes that for ten years, “Marine Le Pen has built an image of demonization and then respectability.”
“The censorship of the vote with the rebels and the left is at least break with this course, risking leading France into a financial dead end,” the latter continues.
“If she presses the button, later it will be very, very complicated for her and she will have to take responsibility for what happens,” threatens a member of the Government.
But do these considerations even come into play in Marine Le Pen’s strategy? “Reason is not its main driving force,” fears an influential minister. “It resonates more than it reasons.”
The National Rally would then follow its electoral base, which massively demands government censorship, as demonstrated by the Elabe survey for BFMTV published this Wednesday. According to the latter, two thirds of RN voters are in favor of censure of the Barnier government. “I don’t know how to understand Le Pen’s intentions… But what’s in her head?” asks a member of Barnier’s team.
“The RN will play with censorship like a cat with a mouse,” predicts the group’s president. “But after everything she said, I can’t see her without pressing the button,” he bets.
“I think that from the beginning we have been censured in relation to the finance bill and the social security financing bill,” a minister agrees. “I don’t see why a demagogic party would accept a budget that requires effort.”
One of his colleagues still hopes to consolidate the far-right party. through a partial rewriting of the budget texts: “If we don’t give in anything, we will surely take the bullet. And it will always cost less to do without some things than to end the year without a budget.”
“Will the Prime Minister give up many things? It depends on whether you want to live or die,” laughs another. “The risk is giving up something and then the RN says ‘it’s not enough,'” responds a member of the government. Fears that have been confirmed: Michel Barnier has renounced increasing taxes on electricity, a decision celebrated by the extreme right, which even recalled that “other red lines remain.”
“Dialogue requires everyone to take a step towards each other. That is why we have to know the reality of each person’s red lines, if more and more are added, it is certain that the negotiation will end up being biased,” asks a minister.
One thing is certain: texts can be rewritten until the last moment. “The text that comes out of the Joint Commission can still be modified,” says a person close to Michel Barnier.
“Until the last moment there is room for discussion and that is why it can be rewritten on Monday at the end of the day, but we must do the same exercise in the Senate in the same terms,” deciphers a member of the government. . “And you can also change the text in 49.3,” says another. An option widely rejected by the French. According to a survey “L’Opinion en direct” conducted by Elabe for BFMTV and published on October 23, 58% of French people believe that “it would be unacceptable for the budget bill to be approved by article 49.3 and not by vote of Parliament”. “.
Source: BFM TV
