This Wednesday, left-wing and far-right deputies overthrew the Government of French Prime Minister Michel Barnier, within the framework of growing pressure to achieve the resignation of President Emmanuel Macron in the midst of a political crisis in the second largest economy of the European Union. By 331 votes in favor, above the absolute majority of 288, the National Assembly (Lower House) put an end to less than 100 days of Barnier’s Government, in turn rejecting his Budget for 2025. Although the censure does not affect the center-right president, whose term ends in 2027, weakens him greatly, especially when he decided in September to appoint Barnier as prime minister in the name of “stability.” “Today we vote to censure his government, but above all we mark the end of a mandate: that of the president,” said deputy Éric Coquerel, defending the motion of censure of the left-wing coalition New Popular Front (NFP). Without directly asking for his resignation, the leader of the far-right National Rally party (RN), Marine Le Pen, called on Macron, with whom he competed for the presidency in 2017 and 2022, to think about whether he can continue in office.
