Dr Oliver Hartwich: Macron stuck in a constitutional dead end

Last week, French Prime Minister Michel Barnier faced parliament defiantly. Despite lacking a majority, he tried to push through controversial reforms using Article 49.3 of the Constitution – a mechanism allowing the government to bypass parliamentary votes.

He paid a heavy price for his defiance. In an unprecedented move, an unlikely coalition of left and right-wing parties united to pass a vote of no confidence, bringing down his government and plunging France into a constitutional crisis.