Fall of the French government? PM submits to vote of confidence
National Union president Jordan Bardella spoke to reporters before the National Assembly session. According to the political leader, the government fell "by its own initiative."
"A day of uncertainty regarding the country's future and, at the same time, of great certainty about the outcome of the vote," said Jordan Bardella.
Bearing in mind that the National Union has never voted in favor of a motion of censure, Jordan Bardella assured that the party "is not overthrowing the government."
“It was the government that decided to fall on its own,” blamed Jordan Bardella.
The leader of the Republicans, Laurent Wauquiez, announced that the party's deputies in the National Assembly will have "freedom to vote" on the motion of confidence in François Bayrou.
Regarding his vote on the motion of confidence, Laurent Wauquiez said: “I will vote in favor without enthusiasm.”
Faced with the very likely fall of the French government, the French President will have to choose between two alternatives: either appoint a new Prime Minister (the third in the space of two years), or call new legislative elections.
Emmanuel Macron's position is not yet known, but a hypothesis is circulating: the appointment of a prime minister from the socialist camp, who would be supported by the centrist bloc and the center-right.
Following the snap elections of July 2024, the National Assembly has become quite fragmented. None of the three major blocs (centrists, left, and far-right) hold a majority in the lower house of the French Parliament, which has given rise to significant political instability.
So far, François Bayrou has survived several votes of no confidence. On the right, Marine Le Pen's National Union has abstained, but the political group refuses to vote in favor of a vote of confidence.
The French Socialist Party (PS) expresses the same position . The Socialists have also abstained from successive motions of censure, but will not vote in favor of a motion of confidence. The PS ran in a coalition—the New Popular Front—which included the communists, the ecologists, and Jean-Luc Melénchon's France Insoumise, but has been on a coalition path with parties further to its left.
On the left, France Insoumise has filed several motions of censure—and will certainly vote against this motion of confidence, as will the ecologists and communists. The parties in this left-wing front have the most seats, but they do not have an absolute majority.
None of the three blocs will be able to forge a stable governing solution . So far, French President Emmanuel Macron has chosen to collaborate with the right (with the Republicans), but always without a majority.
Michel Barnier, the former prime minister who stepped down after the 2024 elections, was the target of a motion of no confidence, which ultimately succeeded.
The parliamentary session kicks off with a speech by the French Prime Minister. François Bayrou is expected to defend the continuation of his government and warn of the "irresponsibility" of overthrowing him by the remaining political parties.
The following political groups are:
- Socialist Party (by the voice of Boris Vallaud)
- Republican Right (by the voice of (Laurent Wauquiez)
- The Ecologists (voiced by Cyrielle Chatelain)
- The Democrats — Modem (voiced by Marc Fesneau, and the party to which François Bayrou belongs)
- Horizons (voiced by Paul Christophe)
- Liot (voiced by Laurent Panifous)
- Democratic and Republican Left Group — Communists (by Stéphane Peu)
- Union of the Right for the Republic (by Éric Ciotti)
- National Union (by Marine Le Pen)
- Together for the Republic (by the voice of former Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, the same party as Emmanuel Macron)
- França Insubissa (voiced by Mathilde Panot)
- Non-attached Member Philippe Bonnecarrère
After hearing all the parliamentary groups, François Bayrou may speak again if he so wishes. Otherwise, a vote by all 577 members of the lower house of the French Parliament will follow.
Good afternoon,
Welcome to the Observador liveblog that will follow the vote on the motion of confidence in the French Prime Minister, the centrist François Bayrou.
The extraordinary parliamentary session of the National Assembly begins at 3:00 pm (local time, one hour less in Lisbon) and will last for several hours.
Voting is expected to take place around 7:00 pm (one hour less in Lisbon).
observador
