THE French government has collapsed after a historic vote of no-confidence was passed against Prime Minister Michel Barnier in the National Assembly.
Barnier’s government is France’s first to be ousted by a no-confidence vote in more than 60 years.
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French MPs including the left and the far right combined voted 331 out of 574 in favour of the motion to pass, exceeding the minimum mark of 288.
The vote rose from fierce opposition to his proposed social security budget for 2025 from opposition parties such as the left-wing alliance New Popular Front (NFP) and Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally (RN).
Barnier said the budget was aimed to save some £50billion.
They were left angry as Barnier said he would push the budget through via a presidential decree, even though it failed to receive support from MPs.
Such a move has become common under Mr Macron, who is accused of ignoring democracy and acting like a dictator.
Barnier, who served as one of the negotiators during Brexit, has now become his country’s shortest-serving prime minister ever.
He is not an elected MP and his downfall after only three months breaks a record previously held by Socialist prime minister Bernard Cazeneuve, who served for five months, up until May 2017.
It comes as a huge blow for President Emmanuel Macron who is now keen to appoint a new prime minister as soon as possible – perhaps even before the weekend.
This is to save himself some embarrassment as his pal Donald Trump is due a visit to Paris for the reopening of Notre Dame – and Macron would not wanna welcome him without a collapsed government.
The new prime minister will face the same challenges as Barnier in getting bills – including the 2025 budget – adopted by a hung parliament.
There can be no new parliamentary election before July.
Le Pen has said pressure on President Emmanuel Macron is mounting after lawmakers passed the motion against Barnier – but will not demand his resignation.
The far-right leader said Macrion will need to meet certain requirements to get her side’s backing for the next prime minister.
Before the collapse of the French government, Le Pen told the parliament: “We have arrived at the moment of truth.”
However, France‘s hard left has urged Macron to resign.
Mathilde Panot, the leader of far-left France Unbowed who played a part in tabling the no-confidence vote, said: “We are now calling on Macron to go.”
Macron, who just returned from a trip to Saudi Arabia, ruled out resigning himself, saying: “I was elected twice by the French people, and my priority is stability.”
Pledging to remain as President until 2027 – when his second term of office ends – Macron said he would stay “until the last second, so as to be useful to the country”.
Far-Right opponents were showing some support for Mr Macron on Wednesday, with National Rally president Jordan Bardella saying he was “respectful of institutions” and “there is no justification at this time for the President of the Republic to leave”.
Jean-Luc Mélenchon from Unbowed said he was happy the “inevitable censorship” has passed.
He added: “Even with a Barnier every three months, Macron will not last three years.”
Unbowed lawmaker Eric Coquerel told Barnier today: “You will be the first prime minister to be censured since Georges Pompidou in 1962.”
He said a majority of French citizens backed the no-confidence motion, and argued that Barnier, appointed by President Emmanuel Macron in September, had had no legitimacy to begin with.
In a TV interview on Tuesday, Barnier said he still believed his government could survive the vote.
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But far-right National Rally (RN) chief Jordan Bardella slammed his optimism, saying it showed the government was “completely out of touch with what is happening in the country”.
He told France Inter radio: “This government is dangerous for my country.
“We will vote for the no-confidence motion.”
Senior left-wing lawmakers also confirmed that their camp would vote to oust Barnier.
Barnier’s interior minister, Bruno Retailleau, was downbeat.
He told CNews: “Nothing’s over until the vote but we can see we’re headed towards censure (of the government).”
Macron, who won a second mandate in 2022, precipitated the crisis by calling the snap parliamentary election in June.
His term as president runs until mid-2027 and he cannot be forced out by parliament, but the RN and the hard left have already been saying he should resign as he faces his biggest crisis since the Yellow Vest popular unrest of 2018-2019.
Since Macron called the election, France’s CAC 40 has dropped nearly 10 per cent and is the heaviest loser among top EU economies.
The single currency is down nearly 4 per cent.
Barnier said the consequences of voting him out would be catastrophic for state finances, but RN lawmaker Laure Lavalette told TF1 TV: “There is no reason for this to lead to major chaos.
“Don’t play with fears … it’s not all going to crumble.”
The no-confidence vote against Barnier plunges France into a period of political paralysis, with many predicting economic disaster too.
French bonds and stocks are already being sold off at an alarming rate, and borrowing costs are spiralling.
What happens now the no-confidence vote has succeeded & the government has fallen?
EVEN though the no-confidence vote has now passed, it is unlikely that Prime Minister Michel Barnier will be immediately removed from his post.
He is likely to remain in position as a caretaker leader until Macron announces a replacement government with a new PM.
Any new government is unlikely to be a majority, as none of the parties are near the threshold of 289 required.
Instead, a “technocratic” government would form – and the new prime minister would hold very little actual power until elections can next be held in summer 2025.
Macron was already in a weak position after France’s summer elections, which forced him into a partnership with the political right.
His last prime minister, Gabriel Attal, also headed up a caretaker government and regularly had to use a constitutional tool to force through laws.
This chaotic period severely dented Macron’s credibility as president.
The successful no-confidence vote against Barnier will surely make Macron less effective as a president – and his popularity could tumble even further.
The next presidential elections are in 2027, so Macron will remain in his post until then – if he can hang on.
Macron has no obligation to resign from his post now that the no-confidence vote ahs passed at the parliament.
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