France’s minority government, led by Prime Minister Michel Barnier, survived a no-confidence vote on Tuesday, just two weeks after taking office, AP News reports.
The motion, initiated by the left-wing New Popular Front coalition, which includes far-left France Unbowed, Socialists, Greens, and Communists, failed to secure the necessary 289 votes, receiving only 197. Barnier’s Cabinet, comprised mainly of members from his Republicans party and centrists from President Emmanuel Macron’s alliance, relies on support from the far-right National Rally party, which abstained from the vote.
The National Assembly is currently divided into three major blocs, the New Popular Front, Macron’s centrist allies, and the far-right National Rally, with no outright majority held by any party. Left-wing lawmakers criticized Barnier’s appointment, claiming it ignored their coalition’s victory in the recent parliamentary elections.
Barnier, facing economic challenges heightened by global inflation, plans to address France’s public debt by proposing budget cuts and a tax on the wealthiest citizens. He plans to reduce the deficit from 6% of GDP to 5% next year and ultimately to 3% by 2029.
