Marine Le Pen has threatened to vote against French Prime Minister Michel Barnier’s October budget – which has sent shock waves across Europe.
The proposed decision by France’s National Rally leader could ignite severe disruption in financial markets and invoke Europe-wide political turmoil.
The budget – announced on 10 October – prioritises the reset of France’s catastrophic public finances as the French deficit in recent years has skyrocketed to twice of what is permitted by EU rules.
Le Pen has said if the budget stays the same, she will encourage a vote of no confidence in Barnier’s centrist-conservative government.
Marine Le Pen has threatened to vote against French Prime Minister Michel Barnier’s October budget – which has sent shock waves across Europe
REUTERS
The 2027 presidential hopeful is currently awaiting a court decision following accusations that she and National Rally embezzled EU Parliament funds for party employees, which she denies.
She has staunchly criticised Barnier’s budget which aims to save the country €60 billion through delayed inflation and increased taxes.
She said: “If the government collapses, the president of the Republic will have to choose a new prime minister.”
Barnier has been in office for only three months following former president Emmanuel Macron’s decision to call a snap-election in June this year.
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The appointment of the Republican PM saw parliament fracture into three distinct blocs: left-wing, centrist and far-right.
Both Le Pen’s far-right group and the far-left faction of the legislature have expressed steadfast opposition to Barnier’s budget reforms.
Bruno Retailleau, Minister of the Interior of France, warned “there will immediately be a financial crisis” should the government collapse from the budget.
It comes amid growing political unrest with the war in Ukraine, Germany’s ongoing jobs crisis, and the election of incoming US president Donald Trump.
The budget – announced on 10 October by French Prime Minister Michel Barnier – prioritises the reset of France’s catastrophic public finances as the French deficit in recent years has skyrocketed to twice of what is permitted by EU rules
Reuters
Barnier has forewarned that the economic stability of the eurozone is already hanging in the balance.
The French PM said: “We have to respect Eurozone rules because otherwise, when one of the countries doesn’t respect it – we saw what happened in Greece – everything can explode.”
Greece’s Eurozone crisis of 2009 saw the debt of a single country responsible for the near crumble of the whole EU currency.