France Prime Minister Badly Loses Confidence Vote

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The government of France collapsed after Prime Minister Francois Bayrou went down in flames 364 to 194 in a parliamentary confidence vote.

France is about to get its fifth Prime Minister within two years.

Last year President Emmanuel Macron called a snap parliamentary election. Macron has been centrist. Until the snap election, it was not evident how much French voters were moving toward extremes. The election made it obvious and left Macron leading a minority centrist government.

The largest block of seats in the French Assemblée Nationale is 138 won by far right Marine Le Pen’s National Rally party and its allies, which surged in the election. Macron’s Ensemble party has the second largest block of 91 seats and leads a fragile coalition.

Macron appointed Michel Barnier as PM, who was intended to satisfy the conservative portion of the political spectrum. Barnier lasted three months. Francois Bayrou, who is more centrist, has lasted longer, until today’s confidence vote.

Macron is expected to resist pressure to resign. He says he will name the next Prime Minister in the coming days. But this undercuts his political power and may adversely affect his ability to influence international affairs.

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