French govt survives no-confidence votes after forcing through budget

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French lawmakers on Monday failed to pass two motions of no confidence in the government filed by the leftist Nupes coalition and the far-right National Rally party after Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne forced a controversial budget bill through parliament by using a special constitutional power.

The special constitutional power, Article 49.3, allows a legislative text to be passed in the National Assembly without going through a vote.

The president of the lower-house National Assembly, Yael Braun-Pivet, said the motion lodged by the Nupes won 239 of the required 289 votes, while that of the National Rally won 90.  

Lawmakers from Marine Le Pen's National Rally surprisingly backed the rival motion despite her initial refusal to endorse it.

"As no motion of no confidence was adopted, the first part of the 2023 finance bill is considered as passed," Braun-Pivet said.  

Last week, the centrist government of Borne was criticized for using Article 49.3, which enabled her to pass the finance bill without a vote.

However, Borne justified her decision by saying, “That’s not an easy thing, but in such troubled times, that decision was needed,” adding, “We had to provide the French with a budget in line with their democratic choices and consistent with our political direction.”

Far-right leader Marine Le Pen described this special constitutional power as a “weakness of the power and above all, its incapacity to federate, to accept listening and exchanging about public policies — in short, an inability to play the democratic game.”

'Worst moment' for strikes amid energy crisis: France gov spox

In light of recent demonstrations that took place across the country over low wages and the increased cost of living, French government spokesman Olivier Véran said on  October 19 that the authorities recognized citizens right to protest.

But he added that now was the "worst moment" for impeding the government's normal operations since inflation and the energy crisis have already made life more challenging for the French people. 
 
"We call for responsibility: Europe is at war. We are facing unprecedented climate challenges, the immediate need to solve the energy crisis, inflation that the government is fighting and unemployment. Yes, we need to discuss the level of wages and working conditions — we welcome social dialogue. However, we believe that now is not the time to call for a blockade of the state and interfere with the functioning of our economy. Now, without a doubt, is the worst moment for this," Veran said.