After three months in power, French Prime Minister Michel Barnier was ousted via a vote of no confidence. Image: Michel Barnier shared via Facebook.
(The Post News)- Michel Barnier, the French Prime Minister, has been forced to leave office barely three months into his term. This comes after lawmakers from both the left and the right came together to back a no-confidence resolution, pulling France into more political turmoil.
On Wednesday, 331 MPs in France’s 556-seat lower legislative chamber voted to do away with Barnier’s centrist minority administration. The decision to oust Barnier and his government followed Barnier’s decision to employ special powers by implementing budget reforms without parliamentary approval.
Barnier was appointed to office in September; this makes him the shortest-serving prime minister, and his government is the first to be ousted in this manner since 19962. According to Sky News correspondent Tom Gillespie, Barnier, the EU’s former chief Brexit negotiator, is preparing to hand in his and his administration’s resignations to President Emmanuel Macron.
The vote comes as France is facing a number of issues, including mounting debt and a growing deficit, which have been made worse by two years of stagnant growth. Moreover, Donald Trump’s re-election as United States president presents a challenge to France’s strong support for Ukraine, and Germany, its primary European partner, is less powerful economically and politically than it has been in years.
Though Macron remains president, the support for him is not strong, as his unexpected decision to hold an instant parliamentary election in the previous summer significantly damaged his reputation. Strong resistance from the left and right resulted in his party and its allies losing a significant number of seats. Until President Macron appoints a new prime minister, Barnier will most likely serve as an interim prime minister; however, France anticipates weeks of turmoil as it did following the legislative vote.
Reports state that President Macron will address the nation on Thursday at 8:00 p.m. in the local time zone. Meanwhile, before the vote, Barnier informed the National Assembly that removing him from office would not alleviate France’s financial issue. He stated that the country has reached the moment “of truth, of responsibility,” and it needs to confront the harsh realities of its debts. According to Barnier, proposing “difficult measures” does not bring him any joy.
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