News Brief
Political Turmoil In France: Far-Right And Hard-Left Unite To Overthrow PM Barnier’s Government, Macron Scrambles To Find Successor
French President Emmanuel Macron
French lawmakers on Wednesday (4 December) voted to oust Prime Minister Michel Barnier’s government after just three months in office, a move that plunged the country further into political chaos.
This marks the first instance in over sixty years when the French National Assembly's lower house toppled the incumbent government by approving a no-confidence motion.
The motion had been proposed by the hard left but succeeded only due to the critical backing from Marine Le Pen's far-right party.
Barnier’s removal comes just months after snap elections earlier this summer that resulted in a hung parliament.
No party gained a majority, leaving the far-right as a decisive force in the government’s survival.
French President Emmanuel Macron is now tasked with finding a suitable successor, with more than two years remaining in his presidential term.
The no-confidence motion stemmed from a dispute over next year’s austerity budget.
However, with the support of the far-right, a majority of 331 MPs in the 577-member chamber voted to oust the government.
Speaker Yael Braun-Pivet confirmed Barnier would now have to "submit his resignation" to Macron and declared the session closed, AFP reported.
President Macron returned to Paris shortly before the vote, after completing his three-day state visit to Saudi Arabia.
Macron criticised the far-right led by Marine Le Pen on Tuesday, accusing them of "unbearable cynicism" for supporting the no-confidence motion.
Macron’s choices are limited, as fresh elections cannot be held within a year of last summer’s parliamentary polls.
Laurent Wauquiez, leader of the right-wing deputies in parliament, blamed both the far-right and hard-left for initiating a no-confidence vote that he warned would "plunge the country into instability."
