France is doing a better job at protecting its monuments than the functioning of its democracy. Even as Notre Dame cathedral rises from the ashes as a symbol of unity in adversity, Europe’s No. 2 economy faces unprecedented instability after far-right leader Marine Le Pen’s teaming-up with the left to topple Michel Barnier’s government and torpedo his budget. At a time when the entire region is vulnerable to Donald Trump’s trade barbs and Vladimir Putin’s war machine, this is a journey into the unknown that the West doesn’t need.
The parliamentary chaos lays bare the wreckage of France’s political landscape after successive pandemic and inflation shocks and the end of a strong run of economic growth and job creation. Barnier’s belt-tightening plan to lower the French deficit with €60 billion ($63.2 billion) in savings was never going to be a crowd-pleaser, yet it’s a shock to see how easily it was taken hostage by politicians more interested in presidential elections in 2027 than budget math. By imposing “red lines,” demanding more anti-austerity measures and bringing down Barnier after just 89 days in charge, Le Pen has landed a symbolic punch on the elites in power but without offering any genuine answer to deep demographic and productivity decline.