France’s government has collapsed after Prime Minister Michel Barnier was ousted in a vote of no confidence.
MPs voted overwhelmingly to support a resolution against President Emmanuel Macron – just three months after he was appointed.
Opposition parties tabled the proposal after former Brexit negotiators controversially used special powers to push through their budget without a vote.
This is the first time since 1962 that the country’s government has collapsed in a vote of no confidence.
His ouster would add to France’s current political instability, with no single group holding a majority in parliament after snap elections in the summer.
Wednesday’s vote requires MPs to vote yes or abstain, with 288 votes needed to pass the bill. A total of 331 people supported this resolution.
Barnier has now been forced to tender his government’s resignation and the budget that led to his downfall is now defunct.
Both the far-right and the far-left moved no-confidence motions after Barnier pushed through reforms to social security, invoking a presidential decree on Monday after failing to garner enough support for the measures.
The New Popular Front (NFP), a left-wing alliance that won the most seats in the parliamentary elections, was heavily criticized. Macron’s decision to appoint centrist Barnier on his own candidate.
In addition Right Wing National Rally (RN)It deemed Barnier’s budget – which includes €60bn (£49bn) in deficit reduction – unacceptable.
RN leader Marine Le Pen said the budget was “poisonous to the French”.
In an interview with French broadcaster TF1, Le Pen said there was “no other solution” than to remove Barnier.
When asked about the future of the French president, he replied: “I am not asking Emmanuel Macron to resign.”
However, Le Pen said, “if we do not respect the voter’s voice and show respect for political forces and elections”, the pressure on the president will “obviously be stronger and stronger”.
Macron, who has returned to France after a state visit to Saudi Arabia, will address the nation on television on Thursday evening.
Because France votes for its president separately from his government, he is not directly affected by the outcome of the vote.
He had earlier said that he would not resign regardless of the outcome of Wednesday’s vote.
Before the vote, Barnier told the National Assembly that stepping out of office would not solve the country’s economic problems.
“We have reached a moment of truth, of responsibility,” he said, adding, “We have to look at the reality of our debt.”
“I am not happy to propose drastic measures.”
Barnier is likely to remain in charge while Macron chooses a successor.
But he is expected to act fast to form a government to avoid the embarrassment of a non-existent government – because US President-elect Donald Trump is due in Paris this weekend. Restoration of Notre-Dame Cathedral.
No new parliamentary elections will be held until July, so the current impasse in the assembly – with no group hoping to hold a working majority – is set to continue.
