On Friday, 192 deputies from the French leftist coalition (New Popular Front) submitted the first motion of no confidence in the government of right-wing Prime Minister Michel Barnier, according to what sources from the National Assembly (the lower house of the French Parliament) reported.
The memorandum stated, “The existence of this government, with its composition and orientations, is a denial of the results of the recent legislative elections.”
The chances of the memorandum being adopted are very slim, especially after the far-right National Rally party announced that it would not support it.
The leftist representatives believe that “the President of the Republic should have appointed in Matignon (prime minister) the person proposed by the New Popular Front, after the coalition won the largest number of seats in the National Assembly.”
They explained that “the second reason for the memorandum” is “the political orientations of the Barnier government,” especially its refusal to reconsider the pension system reform that was approved in 2023 and sparked controversy and protests, and the budget texts that will be “the most austere in the last twenty-five years.”
The leftist representatives considered that “voting on the motion of no confidence means condemning the disrespect for republican traditions by appointing Michel Barnier as prime minister, and it means preserving our social model, and punishing a government that adopts the concepts and vocabulary of the extreme right, and ultimately means protecting the rule of law.”
For her part, National Front MP Laure Lavallette confirmed that her party would not vote in favor of the leftist proposal. She said, in televised statements, “I think the situation is serious enough not to withhold confidence from this government in advance. We will give it a chance (…) We cannot create more chaos as you are doing.”
However, the no-confidence motion could receive votes from unregistered representatives, from the “Lyut” bloc (independents), or even from the presidential camp.
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