France’s government collapsed Wednesday after the far-right and leftist
parties voted together to oust the administration of Prime Minister
Michel Barnier after a dispute over the budget.
With 331 lawmakers voting against the Barnier government, France has
been plunged into a fresh political crisis less than six months after
President Emmanuel Macron called snap elections in July that led to
weeks of political wrangling. Following the vote, opposition lawmakers
called for Macron, whose term ends in 2027, to step down.
The ouster, the first time a French government has lost a no-confidence
vote since 1962, makes Barnier the shortest-serving prime minister in
modern French history.
His cabinet is expected to stay in place as a caretaker administration
until Macron is able to appoint a new premier.
