Jakarta – French Prime Minister Michel Barnier was ousted from office through a vote of no confidence by the French parliament. After his removal, Barnier immediately submitted his resignation letter to French President Emmanuel Macron.
According to Sky News on Thursday (5/12/2024), Barnier will officially tender his resignation to Macron on Friday (6/12) local time. French media outlet BFMTV reported that Barnier is scheduled to meet with Macron at the Élysée Palace tomorrow morning around 10:00 AM local time.
The French parliament held the vote of no confidence against Barnier on Wednesday (4/12). The majority of parliament members voted to remove Barnier’s government from power.
As reported by Al-Jazeera, the no-confidence vote took place in the National Assembly of France. A total of 331 legislators out of 577 members of the French parliament voted in favor of the no-confidence motion against Barnier’s government.
The motion was called by left-wing and right-wing opposition parties after Barnier used special powers to push through budget measures without a parliamentary vote.
Barnier’s government is the first to be overthrown in France through a vote of no confidence in more than 60 years. Speaker of the National Assembly, Yael Braun-Pivet, confirmed that Barnier must now “submit his resignation” to Macron and declared that the session was closed.
Following the vote, right-wing leader Marine Le Pen stated that pressure on President Macron would now intensify, although she did not call for his resignation. She added that only Macron could make the final decision on this matter.
According to CNN, the motion of no confidence against Michel Barnier was introduced by France’s left-wing groups and supported by right-wing groups. The move came after Barnier, on Monday (2/12), forced through a social security financing bill without a vote from parliament members. With support from the right-wing groups, the majority of 331 parliamentarians out of 577 voted to remove Barnier’s government.
