PARIS, Jan 16 (NNN-AGENCIES) — President Emmanuel Macron’s government survived two no-confidence votes in parliament linked to criticism of an EU trade deal that has upset farmers.
Neither move from the far right or hard left garnered enough votes to topple Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu’s cabinet but they acted as a reminder of strong opposition from within the legislature that ousted his two predecessors.
Lecornu accused the far-right National Rally (RN) and hard-left France Unbowed (LFI) of “shooting the executive branch in the back” and “further stalling budget” talks for the year that has already started.
Both motions from the RN and LFI criticised Macron over his handling of a planned trade accord between the European Union and the Mercosur bloc comprising Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina and Uruguay.
The parties filed the motions last week despite the president saying France would vote against the deal, accusing him of doing too little too late.
Enough other EU members backed the agreement, which is more than 25 years in the making and is due to be signed in Paraguay on Saturday.
French politicians across the divide have been up in arms against the deal, which they view as an assault on the country’s influential farming sector.
Farmers in France fear being undercut by an influx of cheap beef and other agricultural products from South America and have been fiercely against, driving tractors into Paris twice since last week to vent anger over the accord and other woes.
Dozens withdrew from the capital on Wednesday morning after spending the night outside parliament.
But in a show of solidarity, the department of the Loiret south of Paris on Wednesday said it would be encouraging its middle-school cooks not to put Argentinian or Brazilian beef on the menu.
They said these served 24,000 meals a day.
France has been mired in political crisis since Macron in 2024 called snap polls which he hoped would consolidate his majority but instead ended up in gains for the far right in a hung parliament.
With the censure motions out of the way, the government can resume its efforts to get the second half of a much-needed 2026 austerity budget through parliament.
The far right faces its best chance yet to win power in the 2027 presidential elections.
But a court last year barred its three-time presidential candidate Marine Le Pen from office for five years.
An appeal trial opened this week, with a ruling expected in the summer. — NNN-AGENCIES