French government survives no-confidence vote amid budget wrangling
France’s minority government led by Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has once again survived two votes of no confidence brought by the opposition.
Neither of the motions – one tabled by Marine Le Pen’s right-wing nationalists and the other by a group comprising leftist parties, Greens and Communists – received the required absolute majority of 288 votes in parliament on Friday.
Some 269 lawmakers voted in favour of the left-wing motion and 142 voted in favour of the right-wing motion.
The motions of no confidence followed Lecornu’s decision to push a contentious budget through parliament without a vote, after unsuccessful negotiations with other parties.
Lecornu’s government does not have a majority in parliament, but was not expected to fall given that Lecornu had secured the support of the Socialists by making concessions on the budget.
In order for the budget to be approved, Lecornu is having to resort repeatedly to a special constitutional process.
The revenue part of the budget is now safeguarded, following the votes of no confidence. Lecornu must now push through the expenditure part and the budget as a whole in the coming days, with further motions of no confidence awaiting him.
The fact that Lecornu is however managing to push it through is likely to be welcomed by businesses, as well as by EU partner countries such as Germany.
