French President Emmanuel Macron.
| Photo Credit: AP
President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday sought a new Prime Minister to prevent France from sliding deeper into political turmoil after Michel Barnier’s government was ousted in a historic no-confidence vote in parliament.
Poised to be contemporary France’s shortest-serving premier, Mr. Barnier met Mr. Macron at the Elysee Palace to submit his resignation, after the defeat in parliament on Wednesday (December 4, 2024) forced his government to step down.
The vote was the first successful no-confidence action since a defeat for Georges Pompidou’s government in 1962, when Charles de Gaulle was President.
A majority of lawmakers on Wednesday supported the no-confidence vote proposed by the hard left and backed by the far right headed by Marine Le Pen.
Mr. Barnier’s record-quick ejection comes after snap parliamentary elections in June resulted in a hung parliament with no political force able to form an overall majority and the far right holding the key to the government’s survival.
The trigger for Mr. Barnier’s ouster was his 2025 budget plan including austerity measures that were unacceptable to a majority in parliament, but that he argued were necessary to stabilise France’s finances.
On Monday (December 2, 2024) he forced through a social security financing bill without a vote, but the ousting of the government means France is still without a budget.
Published – December 05, 2024 10:18 pm IST
