French government faces no-confidence motion again over budget bypass

ISTANBUL

Several opposition parties in France have announced plans to submit a no-confidence motion against the government after it invoked constitutional powers to pass part of the 2025 budget bill without a parliamentary vote.

The government now faces the risk of a no-confidence motion after using its constitutional authority—previously responsible for toppling the Michel Barnier administration—to bypass parliamentary approval on certain bills, Le Parisien reported on Monday.

French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou’s government invoked Article 49.3 of the French Constitution to push through part of the 2025 budget bill, which was due for approval last year but had been delayed due to a lack of consensus.

Justifying its decision, the government argued that France, struggling with public debt, “cannot afford to remain without a budget for longer.” In response, left-wing opposition parties declared their intention to submit a no-confidence motion.

The far-left France Unbowed, the Communist Party, and the Greens, all part of the largest opposition alliance, the New Popular Front, announced their move, while the center-left Socialist Party said it would not participate.

Meanwhile, the far-right National Rally, the largest party in the National Assembly, has yet to announce whether it will support the motion.

To topple the government, both left-wing and far-right lawmakers would need to back the motion simultaneously.

Article 49.3 of the French Constitution allows the government to pass certain bills without a parliamentary vote. However, its use grants the opposition the right to propose a no-confidence motion.

The 2025 budget bill previously led to the downfall of Bayrou’s predecessor, center-right former Prime Minister Michel Barnier, on Dec. 4, 2024, after left-wing and far-right lawmakers united in a no-confidence vote.