France’s Michel Barnier faced an abrupt end to his premiership Monday after key opposition parties said they would back a no-confidence motion against his government after only three months in power.
Certain that the National Assembly would deny him a majority backing the government’s social security financing plan for next year, Barnier forced through the bill without a vote, using executive powers under article 49.3 of the French constitution.
The conservative premier, who formed a minority government in September after an inconclusive general election, has lived under the constant threat of a no-confidence vote that could force him to quit.
The government could be toppled as early as Wednesday, when a vote is expected.
“I honestly believe that the French people will not forgive us if we prefer partisan interests to the best interest of the nation,” Barnier told the lawmakers.
“This is a moment of truth in which everybody …