Michel Barnier has resigned as France’s Prime Minister following a no-confidence vote that ousted his government yesterday.
His tenure, lasting just three months, marks the shortest for a prime minister in modern French history.
President Emmanuel Macron, who appointed Barnier, has begun consultations with allies and parliamentary leaders to find a swift replacement. Barnier and his cabinet will remain in a caretaker role until a new government is formed.
According to sources cited by Reuters, Macron is eager to appoint a new prime minister before Saturday’s reopening ceremony of Notre-Dame Cathedral.
Among the names floated is François Bayrou, leader of the centrist MoDem party and a close ally of Macron, as reported by Le Parisien.
France’s fractured parliament, a result of the summer election, has made governance challenging. The left-wing Popular Front alliance secured 193 seats—short of the 289 needed for a majority. The conservative Republicans won 47 seats, but the Popular Front’s internal divisions prevented them from uniting behind a prime ministerial candidate.
Macron’s centrist Ensemble coalition had formed a loose partnership with right-wing Republicans, with Barnier at the helm.
However, an unlikely alliance between the Popular Front and the far-right National Rally ultimately toppled his government.
Although Macron’s position has been weakened, his presidency remains secure.
French constitutional rules make it nearly impossible to remove a sitting president without the unprecedented agreement of two-thirds of parliamentarians. Macron’s term runs until 2027.