END OF MACRON: French president faces NO CONFIDENCE vote TOMORROW – France in chaos
EMMANUEL Macron’s government faces a vote of no confidence in parliament on Thursday amid nationwide anger at the French president which has seen violent riots across the country.
By REBECCA PERRING
Express.co.uk
Wed, Dec 12, 2018
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.”
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