Crossroads for Macron as French Gov’t Collapses over Budget Battle, Le Pen Calls for Fresh Elections

Paris politics has once again descended into chaos, as the government of Prime Minister François Bayrou collapsed on Monday after the National Assembly overwhelmingly voted against a confidence measure brought forward by the embattled PM in a last-ditch effort to pass through a national budget.

The deadlock over the budget came in large part as a result of President Macron’s Machiavellian move during last summer’s legislative elections to form a pact between his centrist coalition and the leftist New Popular Front (NFP) in the second round of voting after Marine Le Pen’s National Rally looked to be on the cusp of taking power. The move resulted in a three-way split within the National Assembly, with no faction able to govern effectively.

Macron first turned to former EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier; however, despite his reputation as a firm hand...