Paris - France’s new prime minister, Michel Barnier, on Tuesday faces a motion of no-confidence brought by the left which underlines the fragility of his government even while having little chance of success. 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, warning that France faces financial crisis if its budget deficit is not narrowed and warning of tax rises for high earners.
Macron, whose term runs until 2027, has in recent weeks taken a noticeable 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 no-confidence motion were passed in the lower house National Assembly.
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.
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 his intention to depose the government “before I even opened my mouth, formed my government or delivered a general policy statement”.
- ‘Give the product a chance’ -
The motion put forward by the NFP coalition of Socialists, Communists, hard-leftists and Greens has little chance of succeeding when put to a vote on Tuesday evening.
The extreme-right RN under three-time presidential candidate Marine Le Pen has made clear it will not back the motion.
“I think the situation is serious enough not to bring down this government before it has got going,” RN MP Laure Lavalette told France 2 television.
“We are going to... give the product a chance... We cannot add to the chaos as you (the left) are doing,” she added.
This means the motion is unlikely to get the simple majority of 289 MPs in the 577-seat National Assembly needed to bring down the premier.
Faure conceded that Barnier would remain “in control of the country at the end of this session”.
However, the numbers could prove embarrassing for the Barnier government at this early stage, with some backing for the motion coming from independents and even some dissenting members of Macron’s centrist faction unhappy at the prospect of tax rises.
According to a participant who spoke to AFP, Barnier on Tuesday told a closed meeting of pro-Macron MPs that “we need to get to know each other”.
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 La Tribune Dimanche.