French Prime Minister Michel Barnier was ousted in a historic non-confidence vote as far-right and left lawmakers joined hands.
Appointed in September, the conservative premier is now the shortest-serving French PM following a three-month stint. This comes after snap parliamentary elections earlier this year when the far-right side gained strength to influence the government's longevity.
Un honneur d'avoir servi avec dignité la France et les Français. pic.twitter.com/BGe5gopVDF
— Michel Barnier (@MichelBarnier) December 4, 2024
What led to Michel Barnier's ouster?
Prime Minister Michel Barnier was ousted by 331 votes, which was much above the required 288. This overwhelming number of votes against Barnier came after he used special constitutional powers to bypass the parliament to get an unpopular budget passed.
Despite opposition from legislators, his draft budget amined to save €60 billion to fill the deficit gap. France will now enter the new year without a budget for the year and prime minister as the government remains unstable. The next elections can be held only in July.
The European Union has been pressuring France to curb its debt as the current deficit of 6 per cent is set to rise to 7 per cent in the coming year.
Barnier is expected to submit his resignation to Macron on Thursday. Macron will address the nation at 7pm GMT as he struggles to pick a potential successor to Barnier. Barnier's successor will have to face the same challenges that he faced as the parliament remains divided without elections until July.
