Alexandre Chauveau / Photo credits: Riccardo Milani / Hans Lucas / Hans Lucas via AFP
After the publication of the catastrophic figures for the public deficit (5.5% of GDP in 2023), the Republicans want to sanction the majority by tabling a motion of censure. A threat which grows day by day and which worries the macronie.
France’s public deficit reached 5.5% of GDP in 2023, at 154 billion euros, INSEE revealed at the end of March, much more than the 4.8% deficit achieved in 2022 and the 4 .9% initially planned by the government for 2023. Will France’s record deficit precipitate the tabling of a motion of censure by the Republicans? The threat brandished for several months has grown in recent days. It would have the consequence of disrupting the rest of the five-year term. A hypothesis which causes serious fears in macronia.
More than a matter of time
In private, Gabriel Attal does not hide his concerns, because his mandate at Matignon could come to an abrupt end. For the majority, the tabling of a motion of censure by Les Républicains is only a matter of time. “I’m finding it increasingly difficult to see how they don’t press the button,” confides a Renaissance MP. “In their place, I would derail the train in May, otherwise they are dead!”, adds an advisor to the president.
Force Emmanuel Macron to review his strategy
According to information from Europe 1, Laurent Wauquiez strongly pleads for and urges his comrades in the Assembly to become actors in the five-year term. The objective: to force Emmanuel Macron to review his strategy, even if it means dissolving. Éric Ciotti and Olivier Marleix are already convinced, the idea is still maturing among the rest of the group.
There remains the delicate question of the calendar: before or after the European elections. And the importance of the narrative: “We must not give the French the feeling of a political maneuver,” tempers a party executive. “Voters must understand that we are censoring the management of government finances,” adds another. The threat could thus be carried out during the next budget review.