Deputies from the French Green party have announced that they will file a no-confidence motion against the government of Prime Minister Sebastien Le Corneille over his response during the severe heatwave in late June, Reuters reported, News.bg reports.
According to the party, the cabinet was not sufficiently prepared for both the extreme heatwave that has already passed and the expected new rise in temperatures in the coming days.
The leader of the Greens parliamentary group Cyrille Chatelen said the vote would be tabled in protest against "the lack of preparedness not only for the heat wave we just experienced but also for the one that is coming."
Government spokeswoman Maud Brejon described the initiative as a political move.
"Of course the vote will be tabled. It is a political maneuver," she said after a cabinet meeting. She said that while the government is dealing with the consequences of the heat, the opposition is using the situation to increase political pressure.
According to analysts, the vote has little chance of being passed without the support of other opposition parties, including the far-right National Rally or the Socialists. The Socialists have not yet supported a single vote of no confidence in Le Corneille's cabinet.
Although temperatures have already dropped from record highs, they remain around 30 degrees in much of France. The national meteorological service is warning that another heat wave is expected over the weekend.
On Monday, Prime Minister Sébastien Le Corneille announced that the national health emergency response plan ORSAN remains at its highest level due to the risk of new extreme temperatures.
According to the French public health agency, at least 1,000 extraordinary deaths related to high temperatures have been recorded in the country since the heat wave began on June 20. Authorities warn that the final death toll is likely to be higher.
During parliamentary scrutiny, Cyrille Chatelin said the government bears some responsibility for the heat-related deaths. Prime Minister Le Corneille dismissed as "scandalous" and "undeserving" the claims of some Green MPs that the death toll had reached 10,000.
This summer's extreme heat has affected much of Europe, including Bulgaria. The case in France shows that climate phenomena are increasingly becoming a political issue, with governments under public and parliamentary pressure over their readiness to respond to such crises.