New French PM Michel Barnier survives first no-confidence motion

France’s new prime minister Michel Barnier on Tuesday survived a motion of no confidence brought by the left, a first test for his government whose support in parliament is fragile.

The motion, which would have needed 289 votes to be adopted by a majority of the 577-seat National Assembly, was supported by only 197 lawmakers.

Barnier, a right-wing former European Union Brexit negotiator, was appointed by President Emmanuel Macron in a bid to bring stability after inconclusive legislative elections in July.

The 73-year-old premier has since sought to firmly take the reins, cautioning that France faces a financial crisis if its budget deficit is not narrowed and warning of tax rises for high earners.

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Macron, whose term runs until 2027, has in recent weeks noticeably taken a back seat, especially on domestic issues, while making uncharacteristically infrequent public comments.

The appointment of Barnier, a patrician figure from the Republicans (LR) traditional right who served stints as a minister and EU commissioner, has also been a contrast for the French.

They have seen three premiers who were almost unknown before their appointment come and go in four years.

But Barnier and his right-wing government could be toppled at any moment if a future no-confidence motion were passed in the lower house National Assembly.

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The left-wing New Popular Front (NFP) won the most seats of any coalition in the polls – even if the far-right National Rally (RN) emerged as the largest single party. It is still livid that Macron did not appoint a left winger as prime minister.

“The existence of this government, in its composition and its orientation, is a negation of the result of the legislative elections,” states the motion, which was defended by Socialist Party (PS) leader Olivier Faure.

‘Democratic hijack’

He accused the government of staging a “democratic hijack”, telling Barnier that his administration should “never have been appointed” and describing the LR as a “crushed party” that had been repeatedly defeated in elections.

Barnier brushed off the motion, telling Faure he was aware of the Socialist’s intention to depose the government “before I even opened my mouth, formed my government or delivered a general policy statement”.

Put forward by the NFP coalition of Socialists, Communists, hard leftists and Greens, the motion never had much of a chance of succeeding Tuesday after the extreme-right RN under three-time presidential candidate Marine Le Pen made clear it would not back it.

“I think the situation is serious enough not to bring down this government before it has got going,” RN lawmaker Laure Lavalette told France 2 television ahead of the vote.

“We are going to… give the product a chance… We cannot add to the chaos as you (the left) are doing,” she added.

Even Faure had already conceded that Barnier would remain “in control of the country at the end of this session”.

Commentators have noted that the fate of Barnier’s government risks being at the RN’s mercy, vulnerable to a “sword of Damocles” wielded by Le Pen, who is expected to run for the presidency in 2027.

The prime minister has shown he is aware of the risks ahead. “I know that I am in the hands of parliament,” he told weekly La Tribune Dimanche.