French lawmakers have voted to oust Prime Minister Michel Barnier in a historic no-confidence vote.
It is the first time France’s national legislature has voted to topple the government in this way since 1962.
The vote deals a heavy blow to President Emmanuel Macron, who named Barnier as French prime minister in September after snap elections in which no single party won a legislative majority.
Under the French Constitution, new elections cannot be held until next summer, a year after the last legislative elections. Leading up to the vote, Macron vowed to serve out his term ending in 2027, but will now need to appoint a new prime minister. With the National Assembly, France’s lower house of parliament, split into three major blocs — the far-right National Rally, the left-wing coalition New Popular Front and Macron’s centrists — the way forward for Europe’s second-biggest economy is expected to be rocky.
