France is on the verge of chaos: the situation would be saved by the resignation of Macron, but Barnier may fall

Ahead of a vote of no confidence in his government, French Prime Minister Michel Barnier called for party responsibility to avoid political and budgetary chaos. President Emmanuel Macron said he did not believe in the scenario of the overthrow of the Barnier government.

In an interview with commercial TV channel TF1 and public television France 2, the prime minister called it necessary "to show responsibility that goes beyond political differences, when we tell ourselves that there are higher interests — national interests."

President Emmanuel Macron, for his part, said that he "cannot believe in a vote of no confidence."

"The interests of the country are more important than the interests of the parties," Macron said during a three—day visit to Saudi Arabia. The President condemned the "unbearable cynicism" of the National Assembly, which has become a hallmark of Marine Le Pen, and the "complete loss of direction" by the Socialists.

The president also rejected opposition calls for his resignation.

Michel Barnier announced on Monday in the National Assembly that he will adopt the budget for next year without a vote in parliament. This compromise proposal was approved by the joint committee of the lower and upper houses, but did not receive a majority in the National Assembly. Following this, opposition parties filed a motion of no confidence in the government.

According to the French Constitution, a draft is considered adopted by parliament if a majority of ministers agree to bypass the vote and no party submits a motion of no confidence in the government within 24 hours after that.

On Monday, the opposition alliance of left-wing parties, the New Popular Front, was the first to file a motion of no confidence. Marine Le Pen, the leader of the opposition right-wing National Unification Party (RN), immediately indicated that her faction was also submitting a no-confidence motion and was ready to vote for the left's proposal to overthrow the government.

A vote on the no-confidence motions will take place on Wednesday evening in the National Assembly, and if the two main opposition groups vote together, the center-right government will fall.

"Following the disastrous footsteps of Macron," Michel Barnier could only fail, replied Marine Le Pen for an interview with the Prime Minister.

"The fall of Barnier is a foregone conclusion," said Matilda Pano, leader of the parliamentary faction of the radical left party "Unconquered France."

With a high level of public deficit — 6.1% of the GDP this year — the head of government appointed on September 5 without a parliamentary majority is constantly criticized by the opposition, which rejects the cuts planned for 2025.

This will be the left's second motion of no confidence in Michel Barnier's government. It seemed that the right-wingers from the "National Association" of Marine Le Pen will not vote against the government if Barnier makes concessions to them. And Barnier refused to introduce an electricity tax, reduced government support for healthcare for foreigners and withdrew a proposal to reduce government support for prescription drugs.

However, last Monday afternoon, RN put forward another condition — to increase the size of pensions in exchange for a vote of confidence in the government. The Prime Minister did not agree with this. On Tuesday evening, Barnier said that Marine Le Pen was "trading in a way."

"Unfortunately, the non—adoption of the budget is the only way that the Constitution allows us to use to protect the French people from a dangerous, unfair and punitive budget," Marine Le replied. Pen in the social network X.

On the eve of the vote, French officials warned that France would face chaos if Barnier's government was overthrown.

"We are putting the country at risk," said Economy Minister Antoine Armand.

"Do we really want chaos? Do we want the economic crisis to affect the most vulnerable segments of the population?" — Interior Minister Bruno Retayo asked a rhetorical question.

The Paris Stock Exchange closed slightly higher on Tuesday as investors focused on the benefits of the financial status quo in the event of a possible government downfall.

The last time the opposition overthrew the government in France by a vote of no confidence was in 1962. If this happens again on Wednesday, the Barnier government, formed in September after long negotiations, will become the shortest-serving cabinet in the history of the Fifth French Republic.

A decisive way out of the crisis is the resignation of President Macron. The new early parliamentary elections are an extension of the current crisis of the political system, which has disintegrated into equal thirds of the political spectrum.