French Prime Minister Michel Barnier resigned on Thursday after losing a vote of no confidence, triggering the government’s collapse and deepening the country’s political crisis.
Barnier formally submitted his resignation to President Emanuel Macron, who accepted it. According to a statement from France’s presidential office, he will serve as interim president until a new administration is formed.
On Monday, 331 out of 577 members voted against Barnier’s weak government, seizing the opportunity to depose the seasoned politician and famed negotiator following his attempt to force through a portion of his government’s yearly budget.
This is the first French government to be rejected in a no-confidence vote since 1962, and Barnier will become France’s shortest-serving prime minister in history.
Choosing a successor will be a difficult operation, with the increasingly vulnerable president having to placate MPs from both sides of French politics.
Macron nominated Barnier to lead a minority administration after the president called a quick election in the summer that divided France’s parliament into three factions, each of which fell far short of the majority.
The left-wing group New Popular Front (NFP), which gained the most seats in the parliamentary elections, has earlier criticized Macron for appointing moderate Barnier as prime minister over its own choice.
Along with the far-right National Rally (RN), it found Barnier’s budget, which included €60 billion (£49 billion) in deficit reduction, unacceptable.
Marine Le Pen, the RN leader, stated that the budget was “toxic for the French.” Before the vote, Barnier informed the National Assembly that removing him from office would not alleviate the country’s financial issues.
“We have reached a moment of truth, of responsibility, we need to look at the realities of our debt”, he further said.
