French Government Collapses as PM Is Voted Out

France's far-right and left-wing lawmakers joined together Wednesday in a vote on a no-confidence motion prompted by budget disputes that forces Prime Minister Michel Barnier to resign. The National Assembly approved the motion by 331 votes. A minimum of 288 were needed, reports the AP. The Guardian reports Barnier's government has now become "the shortest-lived government of the Fifth Republic" and the "first administration to be ousted in such a way since 1962." Per NPR, he served just 91 days. President Emmanuel Macron will remain president and says he intends to serve his term through its April 2027 end, but he will need to appoint a new prime minister for the second time after July's legislative elections led to a deeply divided parliament.

President Emmanuel Macron had turned to Barnier in September to navigate the impasse and address France's soaring deficit. Yet Barnier's proposed austerity budget—slashing $42 billion in spending and raising taxes by about $20 billion—only deepened divisions. Barnier on Monday invoked a rarely used constitutional mechanism to push through the contentious 2025 budget without parliamentary approval, arguing it was essential to maintain "stability" amid deep political divisions. The move immediately drew sharp backlash, with Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally and the leftist New Popular Front both filing no-confidence motions in response.

The BBC offers this context: "It's a worrying moment for France, because there is no obvious prospect of the political crisis being resolved any time soon. No new parliamentary elections can be held until July, so the current deadlock in the Assembly where no group can hope to have a working majority is set to continue. Nonetheless, President Macron is expected to act fast to appoint a new man or woman to form a government—not least because US President elect Donald Trump is due in Paris this weekend for the re-opening of Notre Dame cathedral, and Macron does not want the embarrassment of a non-existent government." (Here's our guide to what's at stake in France.)