On Wednesday, the French National Assembly passed a motion of no confidence against Prime Minister Michel Barnier’s government. The motion received 331 votes in favor, far exceeding the required quorum and forcing the resignation of Barnier’s government, which had been in office since September.
Under the French Constitution, a majority vote favoring a no-confidence motion mandates the government’s immediate resignation. With 574 members in the National Assembly (three seats vacant), the motion required at least 288 votes to pass.
As a result of the vote, Barnier must now submit his resignation to President Emmanuel Macron. This marks the first time in 62 years that a French government has been dissolved following a no-confidence vote in the National Assembly, the last occurrence being the resignation of President Georges Pompidou’s government in 1962.
Barnier, who took office on September 5, will be remembered as the shortest-serving prime minister in the history of the French Fifth Republic. He faced a no-confidence vote just 90 days into his term.
Barnier’s government had been embroiled in a fierce standoff with opposition parties over the 2025 national budget proposal. The government submitted a budget plan to reduce the country’s fiscal deficit, proposing cuts to public spending and tax increases.
The opposition, however, opposed several key provisions of the budget, citing concerns over reductions in social welfare and the potential impact on French citizens’ purchasing power. In particular, the far-right National Rally (RN) party pressed Barnier with a list of four demands, warning that failure to meet them would lead to a motion of no confidence against the government.
In response to the growing opposition, Barnier announced Monday that he would invoke Article 49.3 of the French Constitution. This provision allows the government to bypass a National Assembly vote and pass a bill unilaterally. Barnier stated that his government would adopt the social security finance bill using this provision.
Both left-wing and far-right factions quickly proposed a no-confidence motion in retaliation, leading to the vote on Wednesday.