Mr Macron’s leadership is hanging by a thread after the Yellow Vest protests posed the most formidable challenge yet to his presidency. Leftist MEPs said Thursday’s vote is the result of 18 months of fiscal injustice and called on the French president to “radically change direction”. The Paris protests which erupted on November 17, were focused on denouncing a squeeze on household spending brought about by Mr Macron’s taxes on diesel, which he said were necessary to combat climate change and protect the environment.
Emmanuel Macron was forced to climbdown from his fuel tax increases, which were part of his effort to combat climate change, wanting to persuade French drivers to exchange diesel-fuelled cars for less polluting models.
This week the centrist president announced spending measures after weeks of violent protests.
He announced wage rises for the poorest workers and tax cuts for pensioners, which are expected to increase public spending by €8 to 10 billion.
Rebels said the no confidence vote in Mr Macron was “the rejection of unfair social and tax policy conducted for eighteen months”, adding that “violence is never the solution”.
They warned “not only the fate of the government is at stake”, but “the civil and social peace” of the country.
To bring down the government, the motion would have to meet a majority.
But this could be impossible due to the 62 elected on the left compared to the 577 deputies in the Assembly.
Bloomberg reporter, Nikos Chrysoloras, tweeted: “O.K, this is an epidemic now: France’s government will face a no confidence vote in parliament on Thursday, AFP reports.”He said Mr Macron was planning to speak to Prime Minister Theresa May, who also faces a no confidence vote tonight, on the phone.
The French president announced wage rises for the poorest workers and tax cuts for pensioners earlier this week, which are expected to increase public spending by €8 to 10 billion.
Poland’s Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki also confirmed he will call for a vote of confidence in the Law and Justice (PiS) government to ensure it has a mandate for its reforms ahead of this week’s summit of EU leaders.
