France Government Collapses, PM Barnier Loses No Confidence Vote

French Prime Minister Michel Barnier's government was ousted in a no-confidence vote in the National Assembly, escalating the country’s political crisis and casting uncertainty over the budget for the upcoming year.

The vote in the 577-seat lower house saw 331 members voting to remove Barnier's centrist minority government. The motion was initiated by far-left and far-right opposition parties after Barnier invoked special powers under Article 49.3 of the French constitution to pass budget measures without parliamentary approval, according to Al Jazeera.

This marks the first time in over six decades that a French government has been toppled by a no-confidence vote. Barnier, who served as prime minister for just 91 days, is expected to tender his resignation and that of his government to President Emmanuel Macron. Euronews reported that his tenure is now the shortest in the history of the French Fifth Republic.

The political fallout comes after Barnier's use of Article 49.3 to push through a controversial social security budget bill, which has since been rejected. His fragile minority government, comprising members of Macron's centrist party and the right-wing Les Republicains (LR), lacked an absolute majority, leaving it vulnerable to opposition alliances.

The left-wing New Popular Front (NFP) alliance and the far-right National Rally (RN) party, which holds 124 seats in the Assembly, played a decisive role in uniting to oust Barnier during the vote, as reported by Euronews.

President Macron faces the challenge of forming a new government without calling for fresh legislative elections, which cannot occur under the current constitution until July 2025. This situation necessitates cooperation among multiple political parties to ensure governance.

The political instability arrives amid growing concerns about France's budget deficit, adding to the complexities of the crisis.

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