The motion was approved by the National Assembly with 331 votes, the Associated Press reports. Barnier and his cabinet will now be forced to resign. French President Emmanuel Macron said he will serve the rest of his term through 2027 but will need to appoint a new prime minister. This is the second time the President has been forced to do so since France's July legislative elections when Barnier replaced Gabriel Attal in September.
“As this mission may soon come to an end, I can tell you that it will remain an honor for me to have served France and the French with dignity,” Barnier said before the vote in what he anticipated to be his final speech. “This no-confidence motion… will make everything more serious and more difficult. That’s what I’m sure of."
Because of the vote, the National Assembly, France's lower house of parliament, does not have a single party holding a majority. All parties on both ends of the aisle, Macron's centrist allies, the left-wing coalition New Popular Frint and the far-right National Rally, came together to unite against Barnier over his proposed budget. They accused him of "imposing austerity measures and failing to address citizens’ needs," per AP.
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