
France's National Assembly voted to oust conservative Prime Minister Michel Barnier yesterday, marking the country's first successful no-confidence effort since 1962. He is expected to resign imminently.
The vote—331 out of 577—came two days after Barnier sidestepped Parliament to pass a 2025 budget with roughly $63B in spending cuts and tax increases. While France reels from two years of flat growth and high levels of debt, the budget—and its mode of passage—was opposed by both left-wing and conservative populist parties. Barnier's budget is now null and void, leaving some concerned about the direction of Europe's second-largest economy.
Barnier's government lasted only three months—the shortest-lived government in France's history. He was appointed by President Emmanuel Macron in September after snap elections over the summer left the National Assembly without a party in the majority. Barnier is expected to stay on as a caretaker prime minister until Macron appoints his replacement.
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