France’s government warns of ‘big storm’ as no-confidence vote looms

Associated Press

PARIS (AP) — France’s minority government may be on its last legs as opposition lawmakers move this week toward a no-confidence vote. In a last-ditch effort to save themselves, Cabinet members warned of domestic and international turmoil if the government is toppled. Prime Minister Michel Barnier, a conservative allied with French President Emmanuel Macron’s centrists, acknowledged his government’s fragile position over a key budget vote in a television interview on Tuesday. The budget bill for next year must be passed by Dec. 21. Barnier warned of “serious turbulence on the financial markets” if a no-confidence vote passes in parliament thanks to what he called an “alliance” between the left and the far right.