France’s Prime Minister Urges a Divided Parliament to Give Him a Chance

In his archetypal quality earlier France’s fractured little location of Parliament, Prime Minister Michel Barnier pleaded connected Tuesday with lawmakers to enactment with his authorities connected tackling the country’s astir pressing issues, archetypal and foremost a looming fund crisis.

Over astir 90 minutes, Mr. Barnier laid retired a roadworthy representation for his fragile authorities with galore vague promises, including slashing authorities spending and temporarily raising taxes connected the country’s biggest and astir profitable companies and connected its wealthiest citizens.

Mr. Barnier, a seasoned right-wing person who was appointed by President Emmanuel Macron past month, indispensable contend with a little location of Parliament dominated by 3 main blocs but with nary wide majority.

He acknowledged that tenuous presumption but beseeched lawmakers to flooded France’s aversion to moving crossed enactment lines.

“We request much listening, respect and dialogue,” Mr. Barnier said, addressing the 577 recently elected lawmakers successful the packed National Assembly. Many from the hard-left France Unbowed enactment jeered and interrupted him arsenic helium spoke. “Compromise is not a curse word,” helium added later.

Mr. Barnier is successful what galore see an intolerable position. Snap parliamentary elections this summertime yielded nary wide winner. Instead, the little location is made up of 3 main blocs with diametrically differing positions: a delicate conjugation of conservatives and centrists who enactment Mr. Barnier; a left-wing confederation called the New Popular Front that is adamant connected ousting him; and a far-right bloc led by the National Rally successful the influential presumption of arbiter.