French PM Michel Barnier’s authorities loses confidence vote | News | USAEMALL.com

DEVELOPING STORYDEVELOPING STORY,

Barnier’s government is France’s first to be toppled in a no-confidence vote in more than 60 years.

French Prime Minister Michel Barnier’s government has lost a confidence vote in the National Assembly, deepening a political crisis and raising questions about the country’s budget for next year.

A total of 331 legislators in France’s 577-seat lower house of parliament on Wednesday voted to remove Barnier’s centrist minority government, plunging the country into political turmoil as it struggles to reduce a soaring budget deficit.

The vote was called by far-left and hard-right opposition parties after Barnier used special powers to push through budget measures without a parliamentary vote.

Barnier’s government is France’s first to be toppled in a no-confidence vote in more than 60 years. He was expected to tender his resignation and that of his government to President Emmanuel Macron shortly.

Speaker Yael Braun-Pivet confirmed Barnier would now have to “submit his resignation” to Macron and declared the session closed.

Following the vote, French far-right leader Marine Le Pen said pressure was now piling up on President Macron even though she was not calling for his resignation, adding Macron alone had the last say on the matter.

Al Jazeera’s Natacha Butler speaking from Paris said losing the vote was a “crushing defeat” for Barnier and his administration.

“They were angry with Barnier’s austerity measures in his budget, and that it hit some of the poorest people in France,” she said, adding the country has once again “plunged into another political crisis”.

More to come…