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French Prime Minister Michel Barnier to Resign Following No-Confidence Vote

French Prime Minister Michel Barnier is expected to tender his resignation today after being ousted in a historic no-confidence vote, just three months into his tenure. The motion against Barnier’s government passed overwhelmingly late Wednesday, marking the first time in over 60 years that a French government has been voted down by parliament.

The vote, triggered by Barnier’s use of special powers to pass a controversial budget without parliamentary approval, saw 331 MPs vote in favor—well above the 288 needed for the motion to succeed. His resignation is expected to follow immediately, though Barnier may remain as a caretaker prime minister while President Emmanuel Macron selects a successor, a process that could take weeks.

The budget at the heart of the crisis, which included €60 billion (£49 billion) in deficit reductions, has been automatically withdrawn as part of the fallout.

The no-confidence motion united Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally (RN) and the left-wing New Popular Front (NFP), both of which condemned Barnier’s budget as harmful to French citizens. Le Pen called the proposal “toxic for the French,” while the NFP criticized Macron’s decision to appoint Barnier over its own candidate as prime minister after the left emerged as the largest parliamentary bloc in recent elections.

Macron, who returned to France following a state visit to Saudi Arabia, is expected to address the nation on Thursday evening. While the president remains constitutionally unaffected by the resignation, opposition leaders have increasingly called for his departure and early presidential elections—something Macron has firmly ruled out.

France’s National Assembly remains in deadlock, with no party holding a working majority. Parliamentary elections cannot be held until July, leaving the Assembly without clear leadership as Macron searches for a new prime minister.

Barnier defended his actions in his final address to the National Assembly, stating, “We have reached a moment of truth, of responsibility. We need to look at the realities of our debt.”

Despite his plea, opposition leaders were resolute. Le Pen stated that there was “no other solution” than removing Barnier, while her allies took aim at Macron’s leadership. Philippe Olivier, an RN adviser, described Macron as “a fallen republican monarch” and suggested his presidency was inching toward dissolution.

Barnier’s resignation leaves Macron’s administration facing its biggest political crisis since his re-election. With a fractured parliament and opposition parties emboldened, the road ahead for Macron’s presidency appears increasingly uncertain.

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