French lawmakers on Wednesday passed a no-confidence resolution against Prime Minister Michel Barnier, marking the first such action in the European nation since 1962.
The measure, approved in the National Assembly with a vote of 331 in favor, will compel Barnier and his Cabinet to resign from the positions they have occupied since taking office on September 5.
The effort was backed by a coalition of leftist and nationalist factions united in their opposition to the prime minister’s austerity initiatives, which were a result of Paris’s failure to meet European Union fiscal requirements. France is currently facing a budget deficit exceeding 6 percent of its GDP, alongside sovereign debt that stands at 112 percent of GDP. Both figures surpass the allowable limits set by Brussels.
President Emmanuel Macron is expected to name Barnier’s replacement soon, as legislative elections cannot be held until at least July. The new appointee will face a deeply divided parliament, where no party holds a clear majority.
