(Bloomberg) -- The French government on Tuesday survived a no-confidence motion brought by leftist lawmakers who argue its makeup and policies don’t reflect the results of the recent legislative election.
In a widely expected outcome, the motion received 197 votes, far short of the 289 needed to topple conservative Prime Minister Michel Barnier, who was appointed to the job in September following months of political chaos.
The no-confidence motion was filed by the Socialist party on behalf of 192 legislators who signed a proposal to bring the government down. They say President Emmanuel Macron should have appointed a premier from the ranks of the left-wing New Popular Front coalition, since the alliance won the most seats in July’s snap election. Instead, Macron appointed Barnier in a bid to shield his pro-business reforms.
The left has portrayed Macron’s choice as deeply unfair since Barnier’s own center-right Republicans party holds fewer than 50 seats in the National Assembly.
While the no-confidence outcome brings some relief for Barnier, pressure is expected to continue in the legislature. His premiership is tenuous given his centrist coalition doesn’t have enough seats in the National Assembly to ward off a concerted opposition attempt to topple his government.
Tuesday’s motion was defeated because other lawmakers didn’t join. But parliamentary math means Marine Le Pen has become a kingmaker: Her far-right National Rally has the largest individual party caucus in the lower house, so it has the power to bring down the government if it decides to support other no-confidence votes proposed by the left.
In a recent interview with La Tribune Dimanche newspaper, Barnier said he’s aware his government is fragile. “I know I’m in the hands of Parliament,” he said. “If the left and the National Rally join forces, I’ll leave my job.”
Barnier’s central challenge is to present a credible budget to reassure investors, who’ve been dumping French assets on deficit worries. He is preparing to unveil a 2025 budget on Thursday that will include about €60 billion ($65.8 billion) in spending cuts and tax hikes to rein in a widening deficit and try to bolster investor confidence in the country.
In a speech to lawmakers last week, the new premier said he would delay by two years the target date to bring the budget deficit within the European Union limit of 3% of economic output. His plans include tax increases on the wealthy and large companies.
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