France Won’t Be Blackmailed on Budget, Finance Minister Says
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Finance Minister Antoine Armand said France won’t accept artificial budget deadlines from Marine Le Pen even as the far-right leader gave her strongest indication yet that she’s prepared to topple the government as soon as this week.
Le Pen’s National Rally has threatened to support a no-confidence motion unless Prime Minister Michel Barnier tweaks his 2025 budget to index pensions to inflation among other asks. The far-right leader told Barnier he needs to make the changes by Monday, which is when opposition lawmakers are expected to initiate the process to call the vote of no-confidence.