Latest news with #voteOfConfidence
Times
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Times
Ursula von der Leyen faces confidence vote as alliance tension grows
Discontent about the high-handed style of Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president, and anger over the alliance between her centre-right bloc and anti-immigration populists will spill out in a European parliament debate on Monday. Von der Leyen, a former German defence minister, is set to participate in a debate about her position on Monday evening, which will be followed by a rare vote of confidence on Thursday. The European Commission, the Brussels executive, could be brought down if at least two thirds of MEPs vote against her. That scenario is extremely unlikely, as centrist MEPs are likely to back her, but unhappiness over her leadership will surface during the debate triggered by a motion of confidence tabled by Gheorghe Piperea, a hard-right Romanian MEP. While they are also increasingly unhappy with von der Leyen, the Socialist, Green and Liberal representatives who helped to secure her majority after last summer's elections are unlikely to vote against her. However, according to parliamentary sources, she will be 'given a warning not to take MEPs for granted'. Manfred Weber, the German Christian Democrat who leads the conservative European People's Party (EPP), the largest single group in the parliament, has accused supporters of the motion of being pro-Russian enemies of the European Union. 'Putin's puppets in the European parliament are trying to undermine Europe's unity and bring the commission down in times of global turmoil and economic crisis,' Weber said. 'It's a disgrace for the European people.' Von der Leyen will bring her entire team of 27 commissioners, made up of people from all EU countries and the various parties in the assembly, to Strasbourg. It will serve as a reminder to MEPs that the whole EU executive is at stake in the vote and emphasise that she represents the centrist consensus. The given reason for Piperea's motion against von der Leyen is secret text messages that she sent to Albert Bourla, the boss of the pharmaceutical company Pfizer, at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2021. She has always refused to release the messages, which are now thought to have been deleted, despite widespread criticism, including by the EU courts. MEPs will demand answers from her. More significantly, relations between von der Leyen and left-leaning MEPs have become strained over tough migration legislation that has relied on informal voting alliances between her EPP bloc and Eurosceptic populists or hard-right nationalists. Fabienne Keller, a liberal French MEP, accused von der Leyen and the EPP bloc of having 'made a dirty deal with the far right' to crack down on illegal migration. 'The EPP is allying itself with the far right, to win files on migration, turning its back on the pro-European majority. It is shameful to ally oneself with those who are dismantling the EU,' she said last week. Von der Leyen has also been accused of taking decisions after consulting only a small coterie of advisers, bypassing other commissioners as well as MEPs. Last month, Michel Barnier, the former French prime minister and Brexit negotiator, said her executive was behaving like 'super-technocrats' with an 'authoritarian drift'.
Times of Oman
06-07-2025
- Politics
- Times of Oman
Nepal: Nagarik Unmukti Party withdraws support from Oli-led Government, floor test likely
Kathmandu: The Nagarik Unmukti Party has decided to walk out of the ruling alliance led by Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, following the removal of its minister in a provincial government. As per the constitutional provision stated in Article 100 (2), the Prime Minister is now obliged to seek a vote of confidence in the House of Representatives. The party, which holds four seats in the House, took the decision during a parliamentary party meeting held on Saturday in Kathmandu in protest against the removal of one of its ministers by the Chief Minister of Sudurpaschim Province. "The parliamentary committee meeting that convened today (Saturday) in Kathmandu has decided to retract support to the incumbent government, and we will stay in the opposition. Our minister on board the government will also resign tomorrow (Sunday)," Ranjeeta Shrestha, Chairperson of the party, told ANI over the phone. The party currently has Arun Kumar Chaudhary serving as a state minister in the KP Sharma Oli-led government. On Friday, the party had already withdrawn its support from the Nepali Congress-led provincial government in Sudurpaschim. Earlier this week, the Chief Minister of Sudurpaschim Province had sacked Rameshwor Chaudhary, Provincial Minister for Industry, Tourism and Forest. Kamal Bahadur Shah from the Nepali Congress is the incumbent Chief Minister in the Sudurpaschim Province. "We also will make the formal announcement of our change in the coalition during the parliamentary procession of the House of Representatives," Chairperson Shrestha added further. Following the walkout of Nagarik Unmukti Party, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has to test the floor, as per the constitutional provisions. Article 100 (2) of the Constitution of Nepal said, "The Prime Minister shall table a motion for the vote of confidence in the House of Representatives if the party which the Prime Minister represents is divided or the party in the government withdraws its support." However, there has been ongoing debate over the interpretation of this provision, with many contesting the provision, claiming the Prime Minister in the incumbent government has a comfortable majority, which does not trigger the provision in the prevailing situation. The present coalition of the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML) and the Nepali Congress will have a comfortable majority even after the exit of the Nagarik Unmukti Party. The support of 138 lawmakers is required to secure a majority in the 275-member House of Representatives, which the coalition has to continue to hold power.
