France: Motion of censure against Prime Minister Borne, on his first day in front of Parliament

Left-wing alliance deputies in France presented this Wednesday a motion of censure against Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, in her first appearance before Parliament to present her government program.

Borne was confirmed in office by President Emmanuel Macron after the ruling party lost a legislative majority in last month’s elections.

Members of the New Popular Ecologist and Social Union (Nupes) coalition have kept their promise to raise a “motion of no confidence” against Borne on the day the premier goes to the Chamber of Deputies for his general policy statement.

With this initiative, Nupes intends to “put everyone in front of their own responsibilities”, said Mathilde Pannot, leader of the caucus La Francia Insumisa (LFI), a main component of this alliance.

The four left-wing groups in Parliament – LFI, Socialists, Communists and Environmentalists – support the censorship proposal, but some MPs have decided to distance themselves individually.

Approval, which must be put to a vote at least 48 hours after registration, appears more difficult, as it requires the support of an absolute majority.

The far-right Agrupación Nacional party, which has 89 deputies, already excluded from joining the proposal.

“We are not here to block everything, Destroy everything; we are here to propose solutions “, said the spokesman of the group, Sébastian Chenu.

Borne formally presents his program to the new National Assembly this Wednesday.

The so-called “general policy speech”, which each new Prime Minister usually delivers in front of the deputies after his appointment by the President of the Republic, is the initial litmus test for Borneafter the remodeling of his government on Monday.

Especially after the negotiations he attempted with opposition groups, after being initiated by the head of state, Emmanuel Macron, did not make it possible to reach a coalition agreement and none of them are willing to sustain his cabinet in a lasting way.

The alternative chosen by Macron, which could also have dissolved the newly elected National Assembly, is to try reach specific commitments for each initiative of the Executive with different subjects according to the convergences.

This will be tested with the first bill on purchasing power which should come out this Thursday from an extraordinary Council of Ministers and which among other things will have to formalize an increase in pensions and social benefits, as well as various aid for bills. energetic.

In France, as usual in parliamentary systems, there is no debate on the investiture of the Government, since the election and appointment of the Prime Minister It’s a president’s job.

That’s why Borne was able to renounce a vote of confidence after this afternoon’s debate, which began at 10:00 Argentine time in front of the deputies and will continue with another from 16:00 (21:00 in France) in the Senate.

Agencies

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