Vote of no confidence
Government overthrown – France slides into political crisis
After less than three months, Barnier’s center-right government in France is at an end. The country is threatened with a standstill. The fall of the government is also likely to have consequences for Europe.
With a vote of no confidence, the opposition in France brought down the center-right government of Prime Minister Michel Barnier. Marine Le Pen’s right-wing nationalists and the left-wing camp voted together against the government in the National Assembly and thus achieved the necessary majority.
A total of 331 of the 577 MPs withdrew their confidence in the cabinet. Barnier must now submit his resignation and the resignation of the government to President Emmanuel Macron. The office of head of state is not affected by the vote of no confidence.
Political stalemate in France
The fall of the government plunges France into a deep political crisis. A new parliamentary election will not be possible again until next summer. The balance of power therefore remains a stalemate. Neither the left-wing camp that won the parliamentary elections in the summer, nor Macron’s center forces, nor the right-wing nationalists around Marine Le Pen and their allies have their own majority. The government search is likely to be difficult again. It seems unlikely that there will be enough for more than a minority government in the end.
After Germany, the second pillar of the important German-French engine in Europe is also in danger of slipping into a temporary political standstill and, above all, having to worry about its domestic political problems. Macron’s office remains unaffected by the vote of no confidence. As president, he appoints the prime minister. After the parliamentary election he was heavily involved in the government search and is now likely to do so again.
Necessary austerity budget not passed
In addition, the fall of the government does not leave him unscathed either. The head of state appointed Barnier as prime minister after long explorations, and his centrist forces also governed. The opposition is now likely to try to push Macron to hold an early presidential election due to the complicated political situation. Until now, Macron had always rejected this.
The political crisis is also unfortunate for France’s economy. The country has too much new debt. Barnier wanted to get this under control again. His government failed due to the escalating dispute over the austerity budget. It will probably go down as one of the shortest governments in recent French history.
Editor’s note: This article has been updated since it was first published.
DPA
wue
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
