Over 50% of French people want government to fall, survey finds

PARIS (Reuters) – Some 53% of French people want Prime Minister Michel Barnier’s government to fall due to anger over his proposed budget, according to an Ifop-Fiducial poll for Sud Radio published on Thursday.

The poll indicated that 67% opposed Barnier’s budget, which aims to cut France’s spiralling public deficit through 60 billion euros ($63 billion) in tax hikes and spending cuts, while 33% backed it.

Barnier’s government could fall before Christmas, and perhaps even by next week, if far-right and leftist foes force a no-confidence motion that he is likely to lose, according to a dozen sources from across the political spectrum.

The findings in the Ifop-Fiducial poll were based on a survey of 1,006 people carried out on Nov. 26 and Nov. 27.

In an Elabe poll for BFM TV on Wednesday, 63% of those surveyed said President Emmanuel Macron should resign if Barnier’s government fell.

($1 = 0.9457 euros)

(Reporting by Sudip Kar-Gupta; Editing by Mark Potter)

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