French Prime Minister Michel Barnier submitted his resignation along with that of all his government ministers to President Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée Palace on the 5th local time.
In a statement released that afternoon, the Élysée Palace announced, “Prime Minister Barnier submitted the government’s resignation to the President today, and the President accepted it.”
The statement added, “Prime Minister Barnier and the members of the government will handle ongoing affairs until a new government is appointed.”
The coalition government led by Prime Minister Barnier was subjected to a vote of no-confidence by the French National Assembly the previous day.
The Assembly passed the no-confidence motion, proposed by the left-wing party coalition New People’s Front (NFP), with a majority of 331 votes in favor.
France operates a semi-presidential system, where the President has the power to appoint the Prime Minister, while the parliament holds the authority to issue a vote of no-confidence, creating a system of checks and balances.
The Barnier government, which came into office last September, faced a vote of no-confidence from the parliament after conflicts with the opposition over next year’s budget.
It is the first time since 1962 during President Charles de Gaulle’s term with Prime Minister Georges Pompidou, that the French parliament has removed a government.
After accepting the resignation of the Barnier government, President Macron is expected to appoint a new Prime Minister in a public address as early as tonight.
Following their first-place finish in the early general election in the House last July, the NFP is demanding that President Macron appoint a left-wing figure as Prime Minister.
Mathilde Panot, the House leader of the far-left France Unbowed (LFI), which leads the NFP, warned on LCI television that if President Macron does not appoint a Prime Minister from within the NFP, they would “naturally” also declare no confidence in the new government.
Panot asserted, “Macron is responsible for today’s chaos,” and urged for an early presidential election, saying, “We are ready to govern.”
Jean-Philippe Tanguy, a lawmaker from the far-right National Rally (RN), which allied with the NFP to bring the no-confidence motion against the Barnier government, also stated on RTL radio, “Our position remains the same,” and warned that they would follow the same procedure if the new government does not respect the RN’s demands.
Previously, the RN conditionally agreed to President Macron’s decision to appoint Prime Minister Barnier, demanding respect for RN voters and solutions for urgent issues such as purchasing power, security, and immigration.
[Photo Credit: AFP=Yonhap News]