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French Government Collapses After No Confidence Vote
Capping off a week of extraordinary international events, the government of French Prime Minister Michel Barnier collapsed Wednesday afternoon in a vote of no confidence from a broad-based opposition coalition of parties on both the left and right.
Barnier's coalition of centrist parties led by President Emmanuel Macron presided over a government with no majority after the summer elections. After forcing through a national budget with a constitutional process that bypassed a majority vote, Barnier left himself and his government open to a vote of no confidence, similar to an impeachment of the U.S. president.
Both the far-right National Rally party of Marine Le Pen, and the coalition of leftist parties known as the New Popular Front put forward no confidence resolutions. In the end, the left and right joined forces to topple the center with a vote of 331 in the National Assembly to pass a vote of no confidence. 288 votes were required.
This marks the shortest life-span of a French government in 60 years. The budget passed through constitutional article was also rejected, leading to protests in the streets of Paris. The French constitution bars any election until next summer, being at least one year from the last general election, so the French government will sit in limbo until a new prime minister can be named and a new majority can be formed from the existing members, which is not likely. Macron will form a caretaker government in the meantime that cannot vote on any new laws.
The elections last July saw Macron and the left join forces to keep Le Pen's party, the largest party by seat number, from controlling the government. Le Pen hails from a tradition of far-right French nationalists and has been compared to Donald Trump for her anti-immigrant policies.
However, disagreements on policy and on whom should be appointed prime minister led to the centrists failing to form a governing alliance with the left, leaving them without a majority to ensure this type of toppling vote couldn't happen. Now, the nation will have to start all over again.
The election last summer was called after Macron dissolved parliament, following a devastating showing from his party in the preceding European Union elections. Macron, who sits at a 22% approval rating, is facing calls to resign from the presidency before his term ends in 2027.
