PARIS: French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne Monday survived its first no-confidence vote in parliament, which had been sponsored by the far-left opposition.
The motion, which would have required 289 affirmative votes to pass, was supported by only 146 of the National Assembly577 deputies after nearly three hours of debate.
The La France Insoumise (LFI) party had put forward the motion against Borne, who leads a minority government, but it appeared out of danger when other opposition parties ruled out backing the initiative even before the vote.
During the debate, the Prime Minister accused LFI of diverting parliamentary time from important topics.
“Ladies and gentlemen, today we could work for the good of the French people,” Borne told parliament ahead of the vote.
“Instead, we are debating a vote of no confidence based on my alleged intentions, and which obstructs the work of Parliament and therefore the will of the French people,” she said.
Borne was appointed by the President Emmanuel Macron in May, a month before the legislative elections in which the ruling centrist party lost its majority.
“We will never accept that someone holds power in this country with his only legitimacy being that he was appointed by the president,” LFI deputy Alexis Corbiere told the Public Senat channel on Monday.
“It’s the hour of truth,” added the leader of the party’s parliamentary group, Mathilde Panot.
The purpose of the vote was for “political clarification”, as those who did not vote in favor would be identified as “favoring government policies”, she added.
Borne, 61, has made clear she intends to rely on votes from opposition parties to pass legislation, with the right-wing Republican party seen as crucial to her future.
The support of the 62 Republican deputies would be enough for the government to pass laws for the duration of this legislature.
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