Confidence Votes To Start ~1600CET, LR Deputies' Votes Crucial

The French National Assembly is due to hold its votes of no confidence in the gov't starting around 1600CET (1100ET/1500GMT). The votes come after the gov't used the Article 49.3 provision of the Constitution to push President Emmanuel Macron's controversial pension reforms through without a vote in the National Assembly. At present it appears likely that the opposition will not have enough votes to remove the gov't, but the backlash against Macron's decision - criticised as anti-democratic - does not appear to be subsiding.

• In order to pass, one half of all deputies - 287 lawmakers - would be required to back the motion of no confidence to remove PM Elisabeth Borne and the Cabinet. Even if all deputies from the right-wing nationalist Rassemblement National (RN) of Marine Le Pen, the leftist NUPES alliance, the centrist LIOT group representing overseas and territories deputies, and unaligned non-iscrits voted in favour of the motion, it would still require a minimum of 27 out of the 61 centre-right Les Republicains to support the motion to see it pass.
• LR leader Eric Ciotti has called for his deputies not to vote in favour, arguing that it would result in political chaos, but also likely due to the party's poor polling and the risk of a wipeout of its deputies in a snap election.
• Politico reports that only 10 LR deputies are set to vote in favour of the motion. However, last minute changes could put the gov't in a perilous position.