French government falls in historic no-confidence vote

Motion was brought after a social security financing Bill was passed without a vote

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PARIS - French lawmakers on Dec 4 ousted the government of Prime Minister Michel Barnier after just three months in office, a historic move that plunged the country further into political chaos.

For the first time in over 60 years, the National Assembly Lower House toppled the incumbent government, approving a no-confidence motion that had been proposed by the hard left but which crucially was backed by the far right, headed by Marine Le Pen.

Mr Barnier's rapid ejection from office comes after snap parliamentary polls this summer that resulted in a hung Parliament, with no party having an overall majority and the far-right group holding the key to the government's survival.

President Emmanuel Macron now has the unenviable choice of picking a successor with over two years of his presidential term left.

The National Assembly debated a motion brought by hard-left lawmakers in a stand-off over 2025's austerity Budget, after the Prime Minister on Dec 2 forced through a social security financing Bill without a vote.

With the support of the far-right, a majority of 331 deputies in the 577-member Chamber voted to oust the government. Speaker Yael Braun-Pivet confirmed that Mr Barnier would have to "submit his resignation" to Mr Macron, and declared the session closed.