General
France’s Government Survives a No-Confidence Vote
The outcome was not a surprise, but signals a treacherous road ahead for the country’s divided legislature.
A no-confidence vote against the government of Prime Minister Michel Barnier of France was handily defeated on Tuesday. But there is more drama to come, as the lack of a legislative majority causes deep political uncertainty.
What happened?
An alliance of left-wing lawmakers known as the New Popular Front tried to topple Mr. Barnier by bringing a no-confidence motion to the floor of the National Assembly, France’s lower and more powerful house of Parliament.
It received only 197 votes in favor, falling well short of the 289-vote majority it needed. If it had passed, President Emmanuel Macron would have had to appoint a new prime minister.
Everyone — including the New Popular Front — knew the no-confidence motion was almost certain to fail. But it still served as a symbolic protest by the French left. It is deeply opposed to Mr. Barnier, a veteran politician from the right-wing Republican party.
Mr. Barnier and his cabinet, the product of a tenuous coalition of centrists and conservatives, were appointed in September by Mr. Macron.
“I do not need to be reminded that this is a minority government,” Mr. Barnier told lawmakers in the National Assembly. But, he added, “there is no absolute majority in this assembly — for anyone.”
