World News | France's Minority Government Survives No-confidence Vote, 2 Weeks After Taking Office

Paris, Oct 8 (AP) France's minority government survived a no-confidence vote on Tuesday, two weeks after taking office, getting over the first hurdle placed by left-wing lawmakers to bring down new conservative Prime Minister Michel Barnier.

The vote was a key test for Barnier, whose Cabinet is forced to rely on the far right's good will to be able to stay in power.

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The no-confidence motion was brought by a left-wing coalition, the New Popular Front. It received 197 votes, far from the 289 votes needed to pass. The far-right National Rally group, which counts 125 lawmakers, abstained from voting.

France's minority government is expected to survive a no-confidence vote on Tuesday in a test for new conservative Prime Minister Michel Barnier, forced to rely on the far right's good will to be able to stay in power.

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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. (AP)

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