France’s Macron to address the nation after Barnier submits resignation
Al Jazeera
Macron asked Barnier and his government to continue in a caretaker capacity ‘until the appointment of a new government’.
French President Emmanuel Macron is set to address the nation following the resignation of Prime Minister Michel Barnier, a day after a no-confidence vote in parliament toppled the government.
Barnier submitted his resignation in a meeting with Macron at the Elysee Palace on Thursday. Macron “took note” of the resignation and asked Barnier and his government to continue in a caretaker capacity “until the appointment of a new government”, the Elysee said in a statement,
Macron was set to meet both the upper and lower house Parliament speakers before giving an address to the nation at 19:00 GMT.
A total of 331 lawmakers in France’s 577-seat National Assembly voted to remove the government in the no-confidence vote on Wednesday, forcing Barnier to step down after three months in office – the shortest tenure of any prime minister in modern French history.
Barnier’s removal has come 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.
