PARIS (AP) 鈥� French President Emmanuel Macron's centrist government survived two no-confidence votes Monday prompted by opposition lawmakers to protest the use of a special constitutional power to force the budget bill through the National Assembly without a vote.
The leftist Nupes coalition and the far-right National Rally party had filed two separate no-confidence motions.
Only a minority of legislators approved both motions, far short of the 289 votes needed 鈥� or half the seats in the lower house of France鈥檚 Parliament. The right-wing opposition party, The Republicans, did not support the move.
The bill for next year鈥檚 budget is therefore considered adopted without vote and will now be debated at the Senate.
French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne justified her decision to invoke the French Constitution鈥檚 Article 49.3.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 not an easy thing, but in such troubled times, that decision was needed,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e had to provide the French with a budget in line with their democratic choices and consistent with our political direction.鈥�
Macron鈥檚 centrist alliance lost its parliamentary majority in June, making it much more difficult for his government to get laws passed the conventional way in the lower house of parliament, where it is faced with multiple budget amendments from the opposition.
Far-right leader Marine Le Pen said the use of the Article 49.3 shows the 鈥渨eakness of the power and above all, its incapacity to federate, to accept listening and exchanging about public policies 鈥� in short, an inability to play the democratic game.鈥�
Le Pen denounced the government鈥檚 鈥渞efusal to discuss, to accept compromises.鈥�
Green lawmaker Cyrielle Chatelain, representing the Nupes coalition, strongly criticized the budget bill as not going far enough to curb carbon emissions and protect the environment.
鈥淧rime minister, you are lying,鈥� she said, denouncing the government鈥檚 鈥渋naction鈥� on climate change. 鈥淵our inaction can be counted in numbers of days of drought ... and hectares of burned forests."
The debate at the National Assembly comes after weeks of wage strikes that have hobbled fuel refineries and depots, sparking gasoline shortages. Last week, , asking for pay hikes that keep pace with inflation. The left-wing CGT union called for two other days of 鈥渘ational mobilization鈥� on Thursday and on Nov. 10.
Europeans have seen because of Russia鈥檚 war in Ukraine.
Inflation in France is running at 6.2%, the lowest in the 19 eurozone countries, and the proposed budget for next year is based on predicted growth of 1% next year, down from an estimated 2.7% this year.
Despite losing its majority, Macron鈥檚 centrist alliance still has the most National Assembly seats, with 250. The Nupes is the largest opposition force with 151 seats, while the National Rally party has 89 seats.
Another no-confidence vote, this time regarding the government鈥檚 decision to force through the National Assembly the social security budget bill, was also expected to be rejected late Monday.
The Associated Press
