Against the ‘coup’ of Emmanuel Macronwho appointed Michel Barnier as prime minister, ‘betraying’ the message of the vote, today France takes to the streets with 150 demonstrations across the country. The demonstrations are scheduled in various cities in Marseille, Lille, Nice, Lyon, Bordeaux and Strasbourg. In Paris the appointment is for tomorrow at 2 pm in the Place de la Bastille.
Meanwhile, first consultations “full of energy” for Michel Barnierworking to form the new French government two months before the elections. The prime minister-designate met with Macron and the leaders of Ensemble and the Republican Right, who have opened up to their participation in the government, while the left has forcefully excluded it and called for mobilization today against the President’s “coup”.
The Macronists of Ensemble, as stated by the president of the parliamentary group and former Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, “have no will to block or give unconditional support” to Barnier. But they will try to be “useful” to the country, with their “possible participation” in the government.
Opening also from the Republican Right of Laurent Wauquiezaccording to which “what matters is the program” that the prime minister will present, but in any case “nothing is decided”. And also ‘A Droite’, Eric Ciotti’s party born from the split of the Republicans after his decision to ally himself with the far right of the Rassemblement national. “We will decide based on the program”, said Ciotti, while the RN, on which the birth of the government actually depends, which it would not enter but to which it would give external support.
Of a completely different nature are the statements coming from the left, with the secretary of the Socialist Party, Olivier Faure, who denounced “democratic betrayal”, assuring that “no one” will enter the government.
The numbers in the balance
Barnier is at the head of a government at risk of censorship. So much so that he could beat the record of the prime minister with the shortest term in the Fifth Republic. The threat will not become real, however, if there is no agreement on a rejection by at least 289 deputies. of the National Assembly out of a total of 577. And none of the three blocs can – alone – gather all the votes necessary to sink the new executive.
As expected, the various parties that make up the New Popular Front immediately announced their intention to censure the Barnier government. La France Insoumise did so, also announcing its intention to remove President Macron, as did Faure’s Socialists, followed by the Ecologists and the French Communist Party, the latter having decided to use “all means” available, “starting with censure of the government”. On paper, therefore, the 193 NFP deputies should be the ones to vote for no confidence, too few to pass the motion.
On the other hand, the deputies of Ensemble pour la République (ex-Renaissance), Modem and Horizons should not speak out in favor of censorship, who should side with Macron and endorse his choice. Renaissance has announced that it wants to illustrate its “programmatic priorities” to the Prime Minister “in the next few hours”. “No automatic censorship but basic needs without blank checks”, the party clarified. Edouard Philippe (Horizons) expressed his warm congratulations to Barnier. “There will be many of us to help him”, he assured, promising support. This does not take away the possibility of dissidents within the ‘macronie’, especially among the exponents of its left wing.
Potentially opposed to censure are also Les Républicains, which became Droite Républicaine in the Assembly after the split with Eric Ciotti’s group. Laurent Wauquiez, president of the group, calls Barnier “a man of great qualities”. Between the deputies of the ‘presidential’ group and those of the traditional right, there are therefore at least 213 parliamentarians who should vote ‘no’ to the motion of no confidence.
What will Le Pen do?
The question that arises then is what will the elected members of Marine Le Pen’s Rassemblement National do? and their allies loyal to Ciotti. It is too early to say, she announced that she wanted to wait for Barnier’s general policy speech. “We will be attentive to the project he will bring, attentive to ensuring that the aspirations of our voters, who represent a third of the French, are heard and respected”, stressed the group leader Le Pen.
Ciotti, who broke with a part of Les Républicains to get closer to the right of the RN, gave his “best wishes for republican success” to Michel Barnier, in whose nomination he however saw “the symbol of the dilution of a certain right in Macronism”. “We will serve the general interest and censure all those who have an attitude contrary to the democratic spirit”, he added. Finally, the possible vote of the non-attached deputies is uncertain. What will those of Liot (Libertés, indépendants, outre-mer et territoires) do? In total, for 171 ballots the unknown remains. Enough to allow the government to be saved or sunk, underlines Bfmtv recalling that in total on paper there could be 193 ‘yes’ to censorship, 213 ‘no’ and 171 ‘undecided’.
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