French PM survives no-confidence motion in parliament

PARIS: Prime Minister of France Elisabeth Borne on Monday survived her first vote of no confidence in parliament, which is sponsored by the far-left opposition.
The proposal, which should have needed 289 votes to pass, was only approved by 146 people Congress577 delegates after nearly three hours of debate.
The France Unbowed (LFI) party has launched a proposal against Borne, the head of a minority government, but she appears to be in no danger as other opposition parties do not support the initiative even before vote.
During the debate, the prime minister accused the LFI of skewing parliament time from important topics.
“Ladies and gentlemen, today we can work for the good of the French people,” Borne told parliament ahead of the vote.
“We are instead arguing for a vote of no confidence based on my alleged intentions, and that interferes with the functioning of parliament and therefore the will of the French people.” she said.
Borne is appointed by the President Emmanuel Macron in May, a month before parliamentary elections, in which the ruling centrist party lost its majority.
“We will never accept that someone in power in this country with their only legitimacy is that they are appointed by the president,” senior LFI lawmaker Alexis Corbiere told Public Senat. on Monday.
“This is the moment of truth,” added the leader of the party’s parliamentary group, Mathilde Panot.
The point of the vote was “political clarification” as those who did not vote in favor would be identified as “supporting government policies”, she added.
Borne, 61, has made it clear she intends to rely on opposition parties’ votes to pass legislation, with the right-wing Republicans seen as crucial to her future.
Support from 62 Republicans would be enough for the government to pass legislation for the duration of this congress.