French PM Michel Barnier’s government loses confidence vote
Al Jazeera
Barnier’s government is France’s first to be toppled in a no-confidence vote in more than 60 years.
French Prime Minister Michel Barnier’s government has lost a confidence vote in the National Assembly, deepening a political crisis and raising questions about the country’s budget for next year.
A total of 331 legislators in France’s 577-seat lower house of parliament on Wednesday voted to remove Barnier’s centrist minority government, plunging the country into political turmoil as it struggles to reduce a soaring budget deficit.
The vote was called by far-left and hard-right opposition parties after Barnier used special powers to push through budget measures without a parliamentary vote.
Barnier’s government is France’s first to be toppled in a no-confidence vote in more than 60 years. He was expected to tender his resignation and that of his government to President Emmanuel Macron shortly.
Speaker Yael Braun-Pivet confirmed Barnier would now have to “submit his resignation” to Macron and declared the session closed.
