Yoan Valat / EPA
French Prime Minister Michel Barnier reacts after the vote of no confidence against his government was accepted in the National Assembly
The French Government, led by Michel Barnier, was dismissed by a motion of censure with 331 votes in favor from the left-wing New Popular Front coalition and the far-right National Union. This is the first time this has happened in France since 1962.
The French Parliament approved this Wednesday the motion of censure against the prime minister Michel Barnierappointed by the president Emmanuel Macron after the elections on July 7th that gave rise to the left-wing coalition.
After 60 days of impasse and difficult negotiations, Barnier was appointed to lead the French government just 90 days ago — what makes your government the shortest of the Fifth Republic of France.
It is also the first government, in 62 years, to be impeached. Throughout the Fifth Republic, only one motion of censure was successful, in 1962 — which at the time resulted in the dismissal of the then prime minister. Georges Pompidou.
However, this parliamentary instrument has served in recent years as pressure tool against the government and against President Macron, with dozens of failed initiatives during the governments of Elisabeth Borne and Gabriel Attal.
The vote on the motion of censure, which took place at around 7pm, resulted in the fall of the executive led by Michel Barnier, with the blocks of the radical left and the extreme right União Naciona, collecting much more than most required votes.
The leaders of this alliance also clearly stated that they were not only targeting the current Government, but also the French Presidenteven though his future, whose mandate ends in 2027, is not legally linked to that of the Government.
The leader of the French far right, Marine Le Penstated that Prime Minister Barnier’s government fell due to perpetuate “technocratic choices” of President Macron, elected in 2017 and in 2022, after his candidacy for re-election.
Le Pen, defeated three times in presidential elections, including twice against Macron, he added that the French President had “himself to conclude whether he was in a position to remain president or not”.
The leader of Unsubmissive France, Eric Coquerel also appealed, on behalf of the left-wing forces of the Nova Frente Popular coalition, for “the death knell sounded of one term: that of the President”.
The motion of censure followed months of crisistriggered by the dissolution of the National Assembly by President Macron in the European elections against the far right.
The following month, legislative elections gave rise to a National Assembly very fragmented and Barnier only took office as prime minister on September 5, succeeding Gabriel Attal, after 60 days of impasse.
The fall of the executive, led by Barnier, after just three months in office, is the fastest since the adoption of the French Constitution in 1958.
The two motions were presented after the Prime Minister triggered the § 3 of article 49 of the Constitutionwhich allowed legislation on the Social Security budget was approved without a vote.
This decision was made after several days of discussions difficult budgets, during which Michel Barnier gave in to several demands from the far right, which, in his opinion, I was always asking for more.
Faced with what seemed to be an inevitable scenario, Michel Barnier had appealed on Tuesday night, on television, to the “responsibility” of deputies to avoid censorship, in the “interest of the country”.
From Saudi Arabia, where he was on a state visit, Macron had said, in turn, that “I couldn’t believe a vote of no confidence” in the Government.
The president has already returned to Paris, in time to reflect on the measures to be taken after the fall of the executive, as well as the appointment of a new prime minister.
The collapse of the Government makes “everything more difficult and more serious”insisted Michel Barnier, at a time when the signs are, in his opinion, already red in budgetary, financial, economic and social terms.
After the Government’s censorship, the left, center and right may now be unable to agree on a new government coalition.
Marine Le Pen, for her part, is eyes on the next elections presidential elections, scheduled for 2027, but its political fate depends on a court decision scheduled for March 31st.
The candidate faces a five-year ineligibility, with immediate effect, for allegedly joining her party.
