Why France has plunged into a political crisis and how it could impact Ukraine

"The far-right and far-left have united in an anti-republican front," French President Emmanuel Macron stated after the vote on the government's resignation.

This resignation puts Macron in a very awkward position and poses significant challenges for France as a whole.

Read more about the causes of France’s political crisis and its consequences in the article by Yurii Panchenko, a European Pravda editor – France without PM or budget: can Macron lead the country out of political crisis?

The resignation of Michel Barnier's government did not come out of nowhere, as Marine Le Pen had already announced that her party, National Rally, would support the no-confidence motion tabled by the leftist bloc New Popular Front.

The resignation stemmed from a conflict over the adoption of the 2025 state budget.

The problem lies in the need to cut budget expenditures and increase revenues.

France’s budget deficit has reached 6% of GDP, double the 3% limit required by EU rules. But that’s not the worst of it.

France’s borrowing needs have created a paradox: the country is taking out loans at higher interest rates than Greece. These high rates significantly increase the cost of servicing France's national debt, which has become the second-largest item of state expenditure.

In response, the government went all-in.

Knowing that such an unpopular budget had no chance of passing in parliament (the coalition lacks a majority and depends on opposition votes), the government invoked the "49.3 procedure," which allows legislation to pass without a parliamentary vote.

But this procedure has a drawback: it allows the opposition to trigger a no-confidence vote against the government, which is exactly what happened.

After the no-confidence vote, Mathilde Panot, an MP from the far-left Unsubmissive France, declared, "Within months, we will have the first president in the history of the Fifth Republic facing impeachment proceedings."

For now, this threat seems distant, as other left-wing parties and the far-right National Rally have not supported the initiative.

Unsubmissive France has vowed to create conditions that will leave the president with no other choice.

The pro-presidential parliamentary group has described this as a "strategy of chaos," aimed at plunging the country into disorder.

Emmanuel Macron has stated that he does not plan to leave office prematurely.

The no-confidence vote has resulted not only in the government’s resignation but also in the annulment of tax changes central to the 2025 state budget.

In the worst-case scenario, this year’s budget will be carried over into next year. However, this strategy could cause significant problems in the near future, given the current budget’s high deficit, an unsustainable situation.

Macron now faces a daunting challenge: not only must he find a new prime minister who can survive a no-confidence vote, but one who can also push through a budget with reduced spending.

It is likely that France will continue to experience "three-month governments" at least until next summer. Until then, parliament cannot be dissolved, as it has a one-year immunity period following snap elections.

Under such circumstances, France’s international activity is expected to decline significantly – a troubling development for Ukraine.