The immediate catalyst for the no-confidence motion was Barnier's decision to invoke a constitutional mechanism to pass the 2025 budget without parliamentary approval. This maneuver, intended to expedite the budgetary process amid deep political divisions, was perceived by opposition parties as undemocratic, prompting a unified response.

The drama is developing at Paris as deficits soar and the walls close in on an unpopular president whose miscalculations are starting to add up.