Leftist alliance proposes no confidence vote against new French cabinet

The leftist coalition known as the New Popular Front has submitted a draft vote of no confidence in Prime Minister Michel Barnier’s government to the French National Assembly.

This marks the first no-confidence motion directed at the new Cabinet, signed by 192 deputies from the New Popular Front, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

The left took this action following President Emmanuel Macron’s appointment of Barnier, a Republican, as Prime Minister while rejecting the candidacy of left-leaning economist Lucie Caste. Additionally, the New Popular Front members are dissatisfied with Barnier's decision not to repeal the controversial pension reform, which includes raising the retirement age from 62 to 64 and has sparked protests from labour unions.

In contrast, representatives from the right-wing party “National Union,” led by Marine Le Pen, have indicated they will not support the left’s initiative, preferring to give the new Cabinet a chance to prove itself rather than disrupt the government.

The New Popular Front emerged as the leading coalition in France's recent snap parliamentary elections, securing 182 seats out of 577 in the National Assembly. The presidential coalition “Together for the Republic” follows with 168 seats, while the right-wing Rassemblement National, along with its Republican allies, holds 143 seats. An absolute majority in the chamber requires 289 seats, the same number needed to successfully pass a no-confidence vote.

On September 5, President Macron appointed the 73-year-old Barnier as Prime Minister, ending a nearly two-month period of interim governance by 35-year-old Gabriel Attal, who resigned following the presidential party “Renaissance”’s defeat in the extraordinary parliamentary elections.

By Tamilla Hasanova