The left presents a motion of censure against the French Government

by time news

The French Prime Minister, Élisabeth Borne, this Wednesday in the National Assembly. / efe

The initiative of the progressive coalition takes place against the decision of the Executive to resort to article 49.3 of the Constitution to approve part of the 2023 Budgets without the vote of the deputies

The alliance of left-wing parties presented this Wednesday a first motion of censure against the French Government, shortly after Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne announced that the Executive will resort to article 49.3 of the Constitution to approve part of the Budgets for 2023 without submitting the bill to the vote of the deputies. The extreme right will present another motion this Thursday.

“Macronism becomes authoritarianism,” reacted Mathilde Panot, leader of the La Francia Insumisa group. The deputies of the Nupes -the alliance of La Francia Insumisa, socialists, environmentalists and communists- consider that the use of 49.3 is “an act of anti-democratic brutality.” According to them, “it demonstrates the political fragility of the Government, illustrates the contempt for national representation and confirms the stagnation of the Executive.”

The French Government, without an absolute majority in the National Assembly, has resorted to article 49.3 to approve the budgets on the fast track. “We must give our country a budget. A budget consistent with the commitments made to the French: without tax increases and without an increase in the deficit,” Borne told the deputies to justify a mechanism that since 1958 has been used 87 times by different cabinets.

After Borne’s announcement, the debates in the hemicycle on the budget bill were suspended. The deputies have 24 hours to present a motion of censure against the government. At least 58 deputies are needed to be able to present one.

The vote on the motion of censure will take place 48 hours after its presentation. Only the votes in favor of the motion will be considered, which can only be approved by the majority of the members that make up the National Assembly, as established by the French Constitution. In that case, the Borne government would fall and new legislative elections would be called.

If no motion of censure is presented within the established term and conditions, the Budgets for 2023 would be automatically approved without the text being put to the vote.

little chance

The motion of censure presented by Nupes has little chance of succeeding because they do not have enough votes. For it to go ahead, Regrouping National, the party of the far-right Marine Le Pen, and the Republicans, the moderate right, would have to support the Nupes motion of censure. But they have already announced that they will not.

Le Pen said that his party will present another motion of censure against the government this Thursday, which will not go ahead either. The leftist parties will not endorse the initiative of the extreme right. Élisabeth Borne can rest easy. Her position doesn’t seem to be in danger.

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