The French parliament is in shock: Prime Minister Michel Barnier has been suspended
5 december 2024 в 21:13
With increasing political division in the French parliament, the French National Assembly recently convened as opposition lawmakers from both sides of the political spectrum united to overthrow Prime Minister Michel Barnier, the leader of the minority government.
The French National Assembly voted to remove the Prime Minister after 331 out of 577 legislators voted in favor of the resolution, surpassing the necessary 288 votes on Wednesday and effectively toppling the current government.
Barnier, appointed by President Emmanuel Macron in September, is expected to resign in just three months, making him the shortest-serving Prime Minister in French history since 1958 and the first to be ousted since 1962.
«As this mission may soon come to an end, I can tell you that it will remain an honor for me to serve France and the French people with dignity», - Barnier said just before the vote.
«The choice we made was made to protect the French people», - said Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right National Rally party, commenting on the decision to hold the vote.
The vote was triggered by Barnier’s budget to reduce the deficit. His controversial budget for 2025 included tax increases and spending cuts totaling $ 63.6 billion (60 billion euros) aimed at reducing France’s deficit, which is expected to reach 6 percent of GDP this year.
Macron, who plans to serve until the end of his term in 2027, must now choose a new Prime Minister. This task is complicated by a divided parliament, where three blocs are vying for power, none of which have a clear majority.
However, early elections are not expected soon, as the French constitution does not allow Macron to hold a new vote until next summer. After early elections in late June and early July, it took Macron almost two months to appoint Barnier.
The coming weeks and months may prove politically and economically turbulent for France. Additionally, the euro is currently weakening, with 1 euro now equal to 1.06 US dollars. It reached its lowest value at the end of November, the weakest since November 2022
The French National Assembly voted to remove the Prime Minister after 331 out of 577 legislators voted in favor of the resolution, surpassing the necessary 288 votes on Wednesday and effectively toppling the current government.
Barnier, appointed by President Emmanuel Macron in September, is expected to resign in just three months, making him the shortest-serving Prime Minister in French history since 1958 and the first to be ousted since 1962.
«As this mission may soon come to an end, I can tell you that it will remain an honor for me to serve France and the French people with dignity», - Barnier said just before the vote.
«The choice we made was made to protect the French people», - said Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right National Rally party, commenting on the decision to hold the vote.
The vote was triggered by Barnier’s budget to reduce the deficit. His controversial budget for 2025 included tax increases and spending cuts totaling $ 63.6 billion (60 billion euros) aimed at reducing France’s deficit, which is expected to reach 6 percent of GDP this year.
Macron, who plans to serve until the end of his term in 2027, must now choose a new Prime Minister. This task is complicated by a divided parliament, where three blocs are vying for power, none of which have a clear majority.
However, early elections are not expected soon, as the French constitution does not allow Macron to hold a new vote until next summer. After early elections in late June and early July, it took Macron almost two months to appoint Barnier.
The coming weeks and months may prove politically and economically turbulent for France. Additionally, the euro is currently weakening, with 1 euro now equal to 1.06 US dollars. It reached its lowest value at the end of November, the weakest since November 2022
© Kolganov Andrey
