French Prime Minister Michel Barnier submitted his resignation after a vote of no confidence in the government, BFMTV reports with reference to the Elysee Palace.
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“French Prime Minister Michel Barnier has submitted his resignation to President Emmanuel Macron. He will continue to serve until a new prime minister is appointed,” the statement said.
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It is clarified that Macron “took note” of this request.
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If a vote of no confidence in the government is supported in parliament, the president is obliged to accept the prime minister’s resignation, the TV channel clarified.
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On Monday, the French prime minister spoke at a meeting of the National Assembly, where the text of the bill on the social insurance budget for 2025 was discussed. He did not wait for the parliamentarians to vote, saying that he was applying Article 49.3 of the country’s Constitution, which allows the document to be passed bypassing the deputies.
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They, for their part, discussed a compromise text prepared by a mixed parity commission consisting of seven senators and seven deputies, who were supposed to coordinate the positions of both chambers of parliament.
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As a result, the left-wing party “Unbowed France” put forward a vote of no confidence in Barnier. Marine Le Pen’s political force, the National Rally, announced at the time that it would support this initiative.
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On Wednesday, parliament passed a vote of no confidence in Barnier. This decision was supported by 331 deputies out of 577.
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Thus, Barnier is forced to resign as prime minister, and the government is dismissed through a vote of no confidence for the first time since 1962. The Cabinet of Ministers worked for 90 days and became the shortest in the history of the country.