Olivier Faure himself had no illusions in defending the first motion of censure of this legislature against Michel Barnier. “So you are now in charge of the country. At the end of this session, you will remain so since the far right has decided to assume with you the continuity of Macronism. »
Just a week after the general policy declaration, and even before the presentation of the 2025 budget, the deputies did not adopt the first motion of censure tabled by the groups making up the New Popular Front. Only 197 deputies voted for it, when 289 votes were needed. There was no suspense because everything depended on the goodwill of the National Rally deputies. And the latter, through the voice of their leader Marine Le Pen, had indicated in advance that they would not vote for it. At least not yet.
The left wanted to mark the occasion. As she did dozens of times during the previous legislature. With this message: the Barnier government comes from a “democratic diversion”, “from a party rejected three times in one month” and placed in fact “under the supervision of the National Rally”. It is the left, its representatives insist one by one, which should have had the opportunity to govern the country.
The Prime Minister’s sense of irony
The French have learned in recent weeks to discover the Prime Minister’s sense of irony. Michel Barnier used it again to respond to his detractors. “I’m very happy to see you again. I feel good among you,” he attacks. Of course, “the government is a minority,” he concedes. But in this Assembly, “there are simply relative majorities. And among these relative majorities, the one that accompanies the government is today the least relative,” he continues.
The main relative majority of this Assembly can therefore continue its path. Feverishly, and in a climate that was not the most peaceful. During Michel Barnier’s speech, the deputies of the Ensemble Pour la République (EPR) group could be counted, at best, on the fingers of one hand. Between the troops of Gabriel Attal and his successor, the weather is stormy and the former stick to minimum service.
Marine Le Pen was discreet this Tuesday afternoon. She listened to the Prime Minister, before returning to the benches to applaud the RN deputy Guillaume Bigot explaining the position of his people. “Our group is burning to vote for censorship,” assures the latter. He will have no qualms about voting for it tomorrow. But we will not vote for it today,” defended the latter.
Before adding, a bit provocatively: “We don’t censor, because a single tweet from Marine Le Pen is enough to change the Prime Minister’s position. » A former Macronist minister anticipates: “There is necessarily a day when Marine Le Pen will have to take control again. The only question is when. » That day, Michel Barnier’s government will indeed be in the hot seat.
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