After being overthrown by a vote of no confidence in Parliament, French Prime Minister Michel Barnier will announce his government’s resignation this Thursday Emmanuel Macron submit. Barnier is expected at the Élysée Palace at 10 a.m., the presidential office announced.
“I can tell you that it will remain an honor for me to have served France and the French with dignity,” Barnier said in his final speech before the vote. “This vote of no confidence will make everything more serious and difficult. I’m sure of that.”
331 of the current 574 MPs had previously voted for the left-wing opposition’s motion of no confidence in the National Assembly. It was the first time since 1962 that a French government had fallen over a vote of no confidence. Former EU Commissioner Barnier, who was only appointed in September, becomes the Prime Minister with the shortest term in office France recent history.
Macron will give a TV speech in the evening
In France’s National Assembly, the lower house of parliament, no party has a majority. The left-wing New Popular Front coalition and the right-wing Rassemblement National camp are usually political opponents. But in this case the two blocs joined forces to overthrow Barnier. They criticized him for austerity measures and accused him of not responding to people’s needs.
The third major bloc in parliament consists of Macron’s moderate allies. He now has to appoint a new head of government for the second time this year. He wants to address the country in a TV address this Thursday at 8 p.m. A new election cannot take place until July 2025 at the earliest.
Macron had already announced before the vote that, regardless of the outcome, he wanted to complete his term in office, which ends in 2027. Macron responded clearly to opposition calls for him to leave office. According to media reports on Tuesday, he rejected debates about a possible withdrawal. “I’m here because I was elected twice by the French people,” he said.
-Local politics in France:
Where the republic is crumbling
Swiss
