France’s far-right and left-wing lawmakers joined together Wednesday in a historic no-confidence vote prompted by budget disputes that forces Prime Minister Michel Barnier and his Cabinet members to resign, a first since 1962.
The National Assembly approved the motion by 331 votes. A minimum of 288 were needed.
President Emmanuel Macron insisted he will serve the rest of his term until 2027. However, he will need to appoint a new prime minister for the second time after July’s legislative elections led to a deeply divided parliament.
Macron will address the French on Thursday evening, his office said, without providing details. Barnier is expected to formally resign by then.
A conservative appointed in September, Barnier becomes the shortest-serving prime minister in France’s modern Republic.
“I can tell you that it will remain an honor for me to have served France and the French with dignity,” Barnier said in his final speech before the vote. “This no-confidence motion… will make everything more serious and more difficult. That’s what I’m sure of.”
