Michel Barnier (Twitter/@PedderSophie)
The French government collapsed Wednesday after its lower house of parliament voted to oust Prime Minister Michel Barnier, the Wall Street Journal reported.
The National Assembly passed a no confidence motion with 331 votes, above the 288 needed, forcing Barnier and his cabinet to resign. The motion stemmed from widespread backlash over Barnier's efforts to force through an austere budget to fix the country’s growing deficits. In a fractured National Assembly with no majority party, opposition blocs joined forces to remove Barnier, accusing him of imposing austerity measures and neglecting the needs of citizens, according to the Associated Press.
The motion makes Barnier the shortest-serving prime minister in France’s modern Republic. President Emmanuel Macron must appoint a new prime minister before key legislative activities, including passing the government’s 2025 budget, can resume.
Barnier’s removal follows months of nationwide protests accusing Macron of undermining democratic processes for appointing Barnier in September in a snap election, France 24 reported. Barnier survived a no confidence motion in October.
Barnier, in an appeal on national TV ahead of Wednesday’s vote, urged lawmakers to act with "responsibility" and prioritize "the country’s best interest."
"The situation is very difficult economically, socially, fiscally and financially," Barnier said on Tuesday. "If the no confidence motion passes, everything will be more difficult and everything will be more serious."
Macron, who insisted he will serve the rest of his term until 2027, is facing pressure from a growing number of lawmakers to resign.
Right-wing leader Marine Le Pen, in a speech before the vote, said Macron would "sacrifice the fate of France because of his vanity."
"Emmanuel Macron has attacked the foundation walls of the nation for the past seven years," Le Pen said. "He alone can pull the country out of the rut it’s in [with his resignation]."
Éric Coquerel, head of the National Assembly’s finance committee and a voice for the left-wing New Popular Front, urged Macron to "listen to the calls for his resignation growing from all sides."
"Today we are voting to censure your government, but more than anything else, we are sounding the death knell of a mandate: that of the president," Coquerel said.
The last time the National Assembly toppled a prime minister was in 1962, amid the turbulence of Algeria’s war for independence and an assassination attempt on then-president Charles de Gaulle.
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