French PM Barnier ousted after losing confidence vote

French Prime Minister Michel Barnier’s government has lost a confidence vote in the National Assembly leading to his ouster into just three months of his term. A total of 331 out of 577 lawmakers voted against Barnier’s government, after the attempt to pass an annual budget without a vote in parliament on Monday.

Far-right leader, Marine Le Pen, criticized Barnier during the no-confidence debate last night, saying he had proposed a technocratic budget that fails to tackle France’s increased security concerns and crime. Opposition leaders accused Barnier of running a government without democratic legitimacy. Moreover, Barnier’s cabinet is now expected to serve in a caretaker capacity. The French President’s office informed in a statement that Emmanuel Macron is scheduled to address the nation today.

No French government had lost a confidence vote since Georges Pompidou’s in 1962. The move has led France into a period of political and economic uncertainty, just six months after President Emmanuel Macron dissolved the National Assembly following his party’s heavy loss in the European Union elections.