Barnier’s government is the first in France to fall in a vote of no confidence in 60 years.
There is the government of French Prime Minister Michel Barnier Lost the vote of confidence In the National Assembly, deepening the political crisis and raising questions about the country’s budget for next year.
A total of 331 lawmakers in France’s 577-seat lower house of parliament voted Wednesday to oust 73-year-old Barnier’s centrist minority government.
The far-left and far-right opposition parties came together to pass the motion after Barnier used special powers to push through budget measures without a parliamentary vote.
After the vote, Parliament Speaker Yael Braun-Pivet confirmed that Barnier must now “submit his resignation” to President Emmanuel Macron and declared the session closed.
He is expected to tender his and his government’s resignation to the President shortly after.
Reacting to the vote, French far-right leader Marine Le Pen said that although she had not called for President Macron’s resignation, it was putting pressure on him, with Macron alone having the final say on the matter.
Meanwhile, Mathilde Panot, head of the parliamentary bloc of the hard-left France Unbod (LFI) party, told reporters that “we are now calling for Macron to go” and called for “pre-presidential elections” to resolve deep-seated politics. Crisis.
The French president will address the nation in a televised address on Thursday evening, the Elysee presidential palace said shortly after the vote closed.
Barnier, a former Brexit negotiator for the European Union, was appointed prime minister by President Emmanuel Macron in September. Quick election Hung led Parliament in July.
His government was the first in France to face a vote of no confidence in 60 years.
Reporting from Paris, Al Jazeera’s Natacha Butler said the vote was a “cruel defeat” for Barnier.
“They were angry about Barnier’s austerity measures in his budget and it hit some of the poorest people in France,” he said, adding that the country was once again “plunged into another political crisis”.
Both the left and the right chose Barnier to use special constitutional powers as part of the unpopular budget, which sought 60 billion euros ($63 billion) in savings in an effort to shrink the deficit through parliament without a final vote.
France has a public deficit hitting roughly 6.1 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) and Barnier is keen to bring the deficit in line with EU rules. required Countries should have a budget deficit ratio of 3 percent.
what next
France cannot hold new parliamentary elections before July.
Any new prime minister will face the same challenges as Barnier in getting bills, including the 2025 budget, passed by a divided parliament.
Macron could alternatively ask Barnier and his ministers to remain in a caretaker capacity while he takes time to identify a prime minister who can attract enough cross-party support to pass legislation.
A caretaker government could propose emergency legislation to roll over tax and spending provisions in the 2024 budget to next year, or grant special powers to pass the 2025 draft budget by ordinance — though jurists say that’s a legal and political gray area. The cost will be huge.
