It had been tabled by the left: the first motion of censure against the Barnier government was largely rejected by the Assembly

This Tuesday, October 8, 2024, the National Assembly rejected the first motion of censure filed by the left against Michel Barnier's government.

A week after his general policy speech, Michel Barnier and his government faced the first motion of censure tabled by the left. But the latter was massively rejected by the National Assembly.

A "democratic hijacking"

On Tuesday, only 197 deputies approved the motion of censure tabled by the left against Michel Barnier's government, far from the 289 votes needed to overthrow it.

This motion had been signed by 192 of the 193 deputies of the New Popular Front, joined by a handful of deputies. At the podium, the first secretary of the PS Olivier Faure had castigated the "democratic diversion" of the government, the fruit according to him of an "electoral hold-up", Mr. Barnier denouncing for his part a censorship "a priori".

The initiative of the NFP, the main force in the National Assembly but which does not have a majority, had little chance of succeeding in the absence of support from other groups, notably the National Rally (RN). “The far right has decided to assume with you the continuity of Macronism”, Olivier Faure, the first secretary of the Socialist Party (PS), said from the podium of the Assembly.

The Prime Minister regretted the tabling of this “a priori” motion, asking that his government be”60~em> “judged on its actions”. “I don't need the government to be reminded that it is a minority. I know that. There is no majority in this chamber, there is none for anyone", he said.

But, he added, "the majority that accompanies the government today is today the least relative". The PS is a member of the NFP alongside La France insoumise (LFI), the French Communist Party (PCF) and the Ecologists (EELV). The left-wing alliance, which came out on top in the legislative elections at the beginning of July, is demanding the nomination of its designated candidate Lucie Castets as Prime Minister.