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Jordan Bardella, head of the French National Union party, said on Monday that the party would not hesitate to oust Prime Minister Michel Barnier’s minority government through an austerity-tightening draft budget.
Ahead of a key vote in the National Assembly expected on Monday afternoon, talks will take place between Barnier and the RN to find a compromise seemed to have stalled, increasing the risk that the government could fall as early as this week.
The fate of Barnier’s budget and administration remains largely in his hands RNthe largest party and key electoral bloc in the National Assembly.
“The RN will trigger the condemnation vote mechanism, unless there is a last-minute miracle and Barnier changes his bill by 3 p.m.,” Bardella told RTL radio on Monday.
“I’m not very hopeful that he will, given how he’s ignored and scorned us (and our proposals) in recent months.”
RN leader Marine Le Pen insists all “red line” demands must be met if the government is to avoid a vote of no confidence.
Investors are increasingly worried about the fate of the draft budget, which includes tax increases and spending cuts of 60 billion euros, which Barnier says are needed to reduce the country’s debt.
The euro was down 0.5 percent against the dollar in early trading on Monday.
This is a developing story
