Barnier forced to resign, becomes France’s shortest-serving Prime Minister

International

FRENCH Prime Minister Michel Barnier has been forced to resign just three months into his term after a no-confidence motion, backed by both left-wing and right-wing lawmakers, brought down his government.

Barnier, appointed by President Emmanuel Macron to lead a minority administration following a snap election in the summer, becomes the shortest-serving prime minister in French history.

The downfall came after Barnier’s controversial attempt to push through parts of his 2025 budget in the National Assembly.

Using a constitutional mechanism to bypass a vote on the budget, Barnier inadvertently triggered the no-confidence motion, which ultimately saw 331 of 577 lawmakers vote against him, a CNN report stated.

This marks the first time a French government has been defeated by such a motion since 1962.

Barnier's budget, which included €60 billion (Php 3.67 trillion) in tax hikes and spending cuts aimed at reducing the country’s budget deficit, had already sparked widespread opposition.

Measures such as delaying pension increases to match inflation proved deeply unpopular, especially with the left-wing LFI-NFP bloc, which initiated the motion.

The far-right National Rally, led by Marine Le Pen, also threw its weight behind the motion, citing Barnier’s refusal to compromise.

With Barnier’s resignation, France now faces a deepening political crisis. Macron must appoint a new prime minister, but doing so will be challenging given the fractured state of the French parliament, where no single party holds a majority.

The president, already under intense pressure, must navigate competing demands from both the left and right to form a functioning government.

As the country grapples with its political instability, Macron’s approval ratings continue to plummet, and the deadline to pass the 2025 budget looms.

If not approved by December 21, the government could face a shutdown unless a fiscal continuity law is enacted.(CMM)