Last ditch talks between the French far right and Prime Minister François Bayrou did not achieve any breakthrough, its leaders said Tuesday, heightening the chances that he will lose a confidence vote next week.
Three-time presidential candidate Marine Le Pen and her right-hand-man and National Rally (RN) party leader Jordan Bardella urged swift snap legislative elections after the vote in parliament on Monday, September 8, to end a months-long standoff over the budget.
"Jordan and I are calling for an extremely rapid dissolution (of parliament)," Le Pen said alongside Bardella after one hour of talks with Bayrou at his offices in Paris.
Bardella added: "The sooner we return to the polls, the sooner France will have a budget."
There was "no miracle" in the meeting which "will not change the National Rally's mind," he added.
Analysts expect Bayrou and his government to fall on Monday after just over half a year in office, with both the far right and left-wing parties vowing to vote against his minority administration.
President Emmanuel Macron will then need to decide if he reappoints Bayrou, chooses a new premier who would be the seventh government chief of his presidency, or calls snap legislative elections.
He could also resign, as called for by the hard left, but he has repeatedly ruled out this course of action.
"The answer is simple: we don't have confidence (in Bayrou)," Le Pen said, adding: "the only way for a prime minister to have a slightly longer lifespan would be to break with Macronism."
Risk of government collapse 'worrying'
The risk of the government collapsing was "worrying" said European Central Bank chief Christine Lagarde as she warned that political turmoil in any eurozone country could weigh on markets.
"All risks of government collapse in any eurozone country are worrying," Lagarde told Radio Classique. "Political developments, and the emergence of political risks, have an obvious impact on the economy, on how financial markets assess country risk, and are therefore a concern for us," she said.
If Bayrou loses the September 8 confidence vote, Macron can appoint a new prime minister, ask Bayrou to stay on in a caretaker capacity for some time, or decide to call snap parliamentary elections.
Macron called a snap parliamentary election in June last year that was widely seen as a failed gamble, further weakening him and delivering an even more fragmented parliament. Opinion polls show new elections would deliver another hung parliament, but with the RN likely stronger.
Any new prime minister would be the fifth since Macron's re-election three years ago.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP and Reuters)
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