French Prime Minister Michel Barnier’s government has collapsed amid a no-confidence vote in the National Assembly and he was forced to resign after three months in office, plunging the country into political crisis.
Out of 577 MPs, 331 voted against Barnier’s government. The upheavals in the country – political and economic – are a matter of deep concern not only for the French people but for the whole of Europe as Germany and France are considered the EU’s “motor” in terms of ideological and political horsepower.
For the first time since 1962:
French Prime Minister Michel Barnier’s government has become the first administration since 1962 to be defeated by a motion of no confidence in France. And Bernier is also set to become France’s shortest-serving prime minister in history.
An honor to serve France and the French with dignity. pic.twitter.com/BGe5gopVDF
— Michel Barnier (@MichelBarnier) December 4, 2024
Bernier’s cabinet will remain in power as part of a caretaker government until French President Emmanuel Macron selects a new leadership.
What’s next for France?
Former Prime Minister Gabriel Ettel was asked to continue as a caretaker government when President Macron dissolved the National Assembly following his party’s crushing defeat in EU elections, while Prime Minister Michel Barnier will also remain in power as caretaker administrator.
The caretaker government will not be able to vote on any new legislation and will have to speed up current affairs. The French president has expressed his desire to nominate a new prime minister and do so soon.
However, after the election of the National Assembly, the lower house of the parliament is more fragmented than before and it will be difficult to choose a new prime minister as there is no clear majority.
Who can be the next prime minister?
Some of the names circulating in the political corridors of Paris include the current Minister of the Armed Forces, Sébastien Lecornu, or the leader of the centrist Democratic Movement Party, François Berrou.
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