In a rare political upheaval, French lawmakers voted to remove Prime Minister Michel Barnier’s government after only three months in office, marking the first successful no-confidence motion in over 60 years.
The historic vote saw an unusual alliance between the hard-left and Marine Le Pen’s far-right parties, deepening the political crisis in France and signaling significant challenges for the current administration.
Converging reports indicated that about 331 lawmakers out of 577 voted to bring down Barnier’s cabinet.
The crisis intensified after Barnier attempted to bypass parliament using Article 49.3 to push through an austerity budget, leading to his downfall as the shortest-serving prime minister in modern French history.
Emmanuel Macron appointed the ousted Prime Minister following fiercely contested snap elections.
The historic vote came as Macron returned from a trip to Saudi Arabia, where he attended on Tuesday the One Water Summit.
In a speech, Barnier told MPs today that the budget “was not perfect,” noting that he only had 15 days to come up with it.
“It was seriously improved by many of your amendments,” he said, adding that he was “not afraid,” of the no-confidence vote his government has been facing.
“We have reached a moment of truth, of responsibility,” he added, noting that “we need to look at the realities of our debt”.
He ended his speech by saying it “has been an honour” to have served as prime minister. The government’s ousting received excited applause from the far left.
Jean Luc Melenchon, who leads the Far left France Unbowed party, said he was pleased that the “inevitable censorship” of the outgoing government would now be a distant memory.
“Even with a Barnier every three months, Macron will not last three years,”he said, referencing President Macron’s remaining time in office.
Adil Faouzi contributed to this story
