ADDS DETAILS, REACTIONS FROM POLITICAL PARTIES; REVISES DECK
By Nur Asena Erturk
ANKARA (AA) — The government of French Prime Minister Michel Barnier fell on Wednesday after losing a confidence motion in the country's National Assembly.
A total of 331 lawmakers in the lower house of French Parliament voted against the government, far exceeding the minimum of 288 needed to remove Barnier's minority administration.
This was the first time a French government fell by a no-confidence motion since 1962.
President Emmanuel Macron will address the nation Thursday evening after the vote, his office said, according to local media.
Macron wants to nominate a new prime minister within 24 hours, broadcaster BFMTV reported, citing an unnamed former minister.
According to the source, Macron hopes to have a new government in place by the time US President-elect Donald Trump pays a visit to Paris on Saturday for the re-opening of the Notre Dame cathedral. It added that this was a matter of credibility for the French leader.
The 850-year-old building, which suffered significant damage in a 2019 fire, is set to be re-opened following extensive renovations.
***This will be Trump's first foreign trip since his reelection in November.
During the debate session before the vote, Barnier argued that the motion "would make everything more grave and difficult."
He noted that public finances were in a very complicated state and that the “reality” of the budget would not “disappear with the magic of a no-confidence motion.”
He also said any succeeding government would also have to face this reality. “The debt will always be there,” he stressed.
Left-wing France Unbowed (LFI) lawmaker Mathilde Panot told reporters after the vote that there was only one "solution" for the country and asked Macron to "go away."
LFI, however, was mostly isolated in its call for Macron's resignation and did not have the backing of most other parties.
President of the Socialist Party, Olivier Faure, told BFMTV that this was “not a good solution.”
Right-wing National Rally (RN) lawmaker Marine Le Pen told broadcaster TF1 that she did not request Macron’s resignation.
Macron reiterated on several occasions that he did not plan to resign and would continue to serve in his role until the end of his term in 2027.
Barnier had invoked Article 49.3 of the Constitution to pass the controversial social security budget bill on Monday, suspending the National Assembly session with no debate.
Lawmakers from both left- and right-wing parties condemned the action, with both sides filing no-confidence motions to oust the government.
The right-wing National Rally (RN) party announced it would support the left-wing New Popular Front’s (NFP) motion, a move that pushed the government to the brink, as Barnier lacks a majority in the house.
The country has experienced political instability since June, following Macron's centrist bloc's failure and the RN’s victory in the EU elections.
In response, Macron called for snap parliamentary elections in two rounds on June 30 and July 7, but no party won enough votes (289) to secure an absolute majority in the lower house.
The NFP had emerged with the most votes and seats in Parliament in elections earlier this year, arguing that it was entitled to a prime minister from its own ranks but struggled to propose a candidate.
After weeks of internal divisions, the NFP nominated Lucie Castets for prime minister on July 23.
However, President Emmanuel Macron said he would not appoint a premier until mid-August, despite the proposal and rejected a left-wing candidate.
He faced criticism for delaying the process, fueling further instability after he accepted then-Premier Gabriel Attal's resignation on July 16 after initially rejecting it on July 8.
On Sept. 5, Macron finally appointed Barnier, a center-right politician, former European commissioner, and former foreign minister, as prime minister.