French PM Bayrou Triumphs in 6th No-Confidence Vote

Paris, Feb 20 (NationPress) French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou has successfully navigated his sixth no-confidence vote since assuming office on December 13 of the previous year.

The no-confidence motion, instigated by the Socialist Party (PS), garnered only 181 votes in the French National Assembly, significantly short of the 289 votes required to remove Bayrou, as revealed by the Speaker's representative on Wednesday evening.

The PS initiated the no-confidence vote on Monday to express their disapproval of Bayrou's use of the phrase “migratory submersion”. The left-wing party accused him of exacerbating France’s “political and moral decline”.

Previously, the far-right National Rally (RN) declared that it would not support the no-confidence initiative, as reported by Xinhua.

On the same day, the hard-left party La France Insoumise (LFI) announced its intention to vote in favor, despite recognizing that the PS had not backed LFI's own no-confidence motions against Bayrou.

Bayrou was appointed as Prime Minister by French President Emmanuel Macron on December 13 following the ousting of his predecessor Michel Barnier in a no-confidence vote.

Having survived a series of four no-confidence motions against his government within just a few days, Bayrou now faces an uphill battle as he metaphorically views the budget as a “Himalaya” of challenges, with scant support.

Last month, Bayrou sparked a debate by stating it seemed as though certain regions of France were being “flooded” with immigrants. This rhetoric, resonating with far-right views on migration, jeopardized his attempts to gain the Socialists' backing for his budget. The party expressed outrage and pledged to propose its own no-confidence motion concerning the government's failure to uphold “republican values” once the budget is finalized.

However, the measure is unlikely to pass without the backing of the National Rally, which appears implausible.

“We’re not signing this rag,” remarked a lawmaker associated with the party's former President, Marine Le Pen, who requested anonymity to discuss the party's strategy after a group meeting.

On February 6, Bayrou survived a second no-confidence vote initiated by LFI.

Earlier that same day, he had already fended off another no-confidence motion.

LFI put forward two no-confidence motions against Bayrou after he invoked Article 49.3 of the French Constitution on February 3 to push through the 2025 state budget bill and the initial segment of the Social Security financing bill without a parliamentary vote.

Without the support of RN and the left-wing PS, LFI was unable to gather sufficient votes to dislodge Bayrou in either of its attempts.

France has been experiencing political turmoil since President Macron unexpectedly called for a snap election in June, resulting in a divided parliament lacking a clear majority.

Disputes over the budget have unsettled markets and led to the downfall of Bayrou’s predecessor, Michel Barnier, after a mere three months.

Bayrou’s administration has persisted thanks to costly concessions made to both the left and far right to push legislation forward.