Courtesy of Mish.
No-Confidence Vote in France Fails
French President Francois Hollande took an unusual step on Tuesday of passing a law by decree, with no parliamentary vote.
Article 49.3 of the French constitution allows that, but doing so runs the risk of a no-confidence vote and dissolution of the government should the vote of confidence fail.
I commented on Article 49.3 in Hollande Risks Vote of No Confidence Over Business-Friendly Legislation; National Debate Over Baguettes.
That headline was a bit inaccurate because there really was little risk. Heads of state don’t go out of their way on such measures unless they know full well they will survive.
234 voted to censure Hollande, but 289 votes were necessary. Mainstream media portray this as some sort of victory. I don’t. I call it a wasted opportunity. I will explain why in a bit, but first let’s dive into the reporting.
Survival by Coercion
Reuters reports French Government Survives No-Confidence Vote.
France’s Socialist government survived a parliament no-confidence vote called by opposition conservatives on Thursday after it resorted to a controversial decree to bypass broad opposition to a flagship economic reform bill.
Some 234 lawmakers voted in favor of the motion, according to the official vote tally – well short of the 289 votes needed to secure an absolute majority in the lower house of parliament.
The challenge was made after Prime Minister Manuel Valls on Tuesday resorted to a little-used mechanism to push through a package of economically liberal reforms opposed by the left – a tactic widely denounced as anti-democratic.
However the outcome of the no-confidence vote came as little surprise after Socialist leaders said they would eject from the party any lawmaker who joined the censure motion. A Reuters reporter in parliament said no Socialist did so.
Vote With the Party or Be Ejected
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