Macron’s government decides to pass budget without vote

PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron’s government says it plans to use a special constitutional authority to force the bill for next year’s budget through the National Assembly without a vote. Opposition lawmakers may call a no-confidence vote to protest the move, which some have denounced as undemocratic. The government’s announcement on Wednesday was expected. Macron’s centrist alliance lost its parliamentary majority in June, making it much more difficult for his government to get laws through the lower house of parliament. Faced with multiple budget amendments from the opposition, government officials had warned they were ready to invoke the French Constitution’s Article 49.3, which allows the prime minister to bypass parliament in some situations.