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It comes as Barnier's fragile government faces a major challenge
to get a budget for next year approved with no majority at
parliament.
Following June-July parliamentary elections, the National
Assembly, France’s powerful lower house of parliament, is
divided into three major blocs: the New Popular Front, Macron’s
centrist allies and the far-right National Rally party. None of
them won an outright majority.
The no-confidence motion was brought by 192 lawmakers of a
left-wing coalition, the New Popular Front, composed of the
hard-left France Unbowed, Socialists, Greens and Communists. It
needs 289 votes to pass.
The far-right National Rally group, which counts 125 lawmakers,
has said it would abstain from voting a no-confidence motion for
now. Far-right leader Marine Le Pen, herself a lawmaker, said
she decided to “give a chance” to the government.
Barnier’s cabinet is mostly composed of members of his
Republicans party and centrists from French President Emmanuel
Macron’s alliance who altogether count just over 200 lawmakers.
Left-wing lawmakers denounced the choice of Barnier as prime
minister as they were not given a chance to form a minority
government, despite securing the most seats at the National
Assembly. This government “is a denial of the result of the most
recent legislative elections,” the motion read.
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