Barnier makes last-ditch effort to prevent government collapse

"The moment is serious and difficult, but the challenge is not impossible," the French prime minister said in a television interview.

Dec 4, 2024 - 09:00

PARIS — French Prime Minister Barnier on Tuesday took to the airwaves in a last-ditch attempt to convince lawmakers to grant his government a reprieve ahead of a Wednesday no-confidence vote that appears likely to pass.

“The moment is serious and difficult, but the challenge is not impossible,” Barnier said in an interview with journalists from French broadcasters TF1 and France 2.

Lawmakers are set to begin debating the measure, which would torpedo Barnier’s government and potentially send France into twin political and financial crises, on Wednesday at 4 p.m. The far-right National Rally has pledged to support a no-confidence motion brought by the pan-left New Popular Front, giving it enough votes to pass barring any last-minute surprises. Barnier’s ouster would make him the shortest-serving prime minister in modern French history.

After being named prime minister in early September, Barnier said his priority was to bring down France’s budget deficit and get the country’s finances in order. To do so, he proposed a budget with €60 billion in combined tax hikes and spending cuts.

Barnier attempted to pass part of the French budget using a constitutional backdoor that allowed him to enact legislation without a vote, but that in turn gave lawmakers the opportunity to put forward no-confidence motions.

Should the government fall, France will have to resort to emergency stopgap mechanisms for 2025 until a budget is agreed.

“If the no-confidence motion passes, everything will be more difficult and more serious,” Barnier said.

Lawmakers are set to begin debating the measure, which would torpedo Michel Barnier’s government. | Alain Jocard/Getty Images

The embattled prime minister attempted to get National Rally leader Marine Le Pen and her camp onside by agreeing to several concessions to appease them, none of which appear to have worked.

Shortly before Barnier’s interview, French media reported that President Emmanuel Macron “does not believe” the government will fall and had dismissed growing calls for his resignation from politicians across the political spectrum.

Speaking to reporters while on a visit to Saudi Arabia, Macron criticized the National Rally for being “unbearably cynical” and accused the Socialists, the most centrist party of the New Popular Front, of having “lost their bearings” by voting to topple the Barnier government.