French government toppled by opposition parties in no-confidence vote

Source: CNBC

Politics
French government toppled by opposition parties in no-confidence vote

Published Wed, Dec 4 20242:30 PM EST
Holly Ellyatt
@HollyEllyatt

Key Points
* The French government has been toppled in a vote of no confidence.
* Prime Minister Michel Barnier is expected to resign immediately although French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to ask him to continue as a caretaker prime minister while he searches for a replacement.
* New parliamentary elections cannot take place until next June-July, 12 months on from the last vote.

The French government has been toppled in a vote of no confidence Wednesday, plunging the euro zone’s second-largest economy into a period of deep political uncertainty. ... A majority of lawmakers from both the leftwing New Popular Front (NFP) alliance and the far-right National Rally (RN) supported a no-confidence motion in the country’s lower house.

Motions had been tabled by both the left and rightwing blocs on Monday after Prime Minister Michel Barnier used special constitutional powers to force a social security budget bill through Parliament without a vote.

National Rally voted for both its own “motion de censure” against the government, as well as lending its support to the NFP’s motion. Either motion needed the support of at least 288 deputies (out of 574 deputies in the National Assembly) to see the no-confidence vote succeed. Combined, the far-right bloc and leftwing alliance have roughly 333 lawmakers in Parliament, although some lawmakers had been expected to abstain from the vote.

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Read more: https://www.cnbc.com/2024/12/04/french-government-toppled-in-no-confidence-vote-brought-by-opposition.html