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French government falls after historic no-confidence vote

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AFP/The Local France - news@thelocal.fr
French government falls after historic no-confidence vote
French Prime Minister Michel Barnier. Photo by JULIEN DE ROSA / AFP
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French lawmakers on Wednesday voted to oust the government of Prime Minister Michel Barnier after just three months in office, a historic move which hurled the country further into political uncertainty.

Michel Barnier's government was voted out after losing a motion de censure (no-confidence motion) in the Assemblée Nationale, with 331 of the 577 MPs in parliament backing the motion.

The motion was put forward by the leftwing Nouveau Front Populaire alliance and backed by Marine Le Pen's Rassemblement National, giving it a combined majority.

Losing the vote means that Barnier is legally and constitutionally obliged to resign, leading to the collapse of the government. The French press reported that he would do so at 10am on Thursday.

He becomes the shortest serving prime minister in the history of the Fifth Republic (since 1958) with just 90 days in office.

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However it is expected that he and his ministers will stay on in a caretaker role until President Emmanuel Macron nominates a new prime minister.

READ ALSO What happens next after the fall of the government?

Barnier was appointed in September by Macron as a compromise candidate after summer elections left the parliament deadlocked with no party having a majority.

However Barnier was unable to build a consensus in the deeply divided parliament over the 2025 Budget and resorted to using the constitutional tool known as Article 49.3 to force it through without a vote, sparking the confidence motion.

The fall of his government also means that the Budget has been struck down, leaving France with no financial plan for 2025.

Find the latest reaction to the vote HERE

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