French government poised to fall amid budget fight
Far-right and leftist opposition parties both filed motions of no confidence against Prime Minister Michel Barnier


What happened
The French government is widely expected to collapse this week after far-right and leftist opposition parties both filed motions of no confidence against Prime Minister Michel Barnier Monday. Barnier, appointed in September by centrist President Emmanuel Macron, irked both factions by moving to push through a controversial 2025 budget without parliamentary approval.
Who said what
Barnier has been leading a "minority government whose very survival depended on the indulgence of its enemies," notably far-right leader Marine Le Pen, the BBC said. After he refused Le Pen's latest budget demands, she vowed to "pull the plug" by supporting the leftist bloc's no-confidence vote Wednesday or Thursday. Barnier's ouster and the resulting death of his proposed austerity budget threatens to rattle financial markets, worsen France's "soaring deficit" and "reverberate across the eurozone," The Associated Press said.
What next?
"Barring a last-minute surprise," Barnier will become the first French prime minister "forced out by a no-confidence vote since 1962," Reuters said. Macron could ask him to stay on in a caretaker role while he finds a replacement. Macron can't be ousted before his term ends in 2027, and he couldn't call new parliamentary elections until July, a year after his last snap elections pushed France into this gridlock.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Rafi Schwartz has worked as a politics writer at The Week since 2022, where he covers elections, Congress and the White House. He was previously a contributing writer with Mic focusing largely on politics, a senior writer with Splinter News, a staff writer for Fusion's news lab, and the managing editor of Heeb Magazine, a Jewish life and culture publication. Rafi's work has appeared in Rolling Stone, GOOD and The Forward, among others.
-
‘The Taliban delivers yet another brutal blow’
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Renewables top coal as Trump seeks reversal
Speed Read For the first time, renewable energy sources generated more power than coal, said a new report
-
Prime minister shocks France with resignation
Speed Read French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu submitted his government’s resignation after less than a month in office
-
Court allows Trump’s Texas troops to head to Chicago
Speed Read Trump is ‘using our service members as pawns in his illegal effort to militarize our nation’s cities,’ said Gov. J.B. Pritzker
-
Judge bars Trump’s National Guard moves in Oregon
Speed Read In an emergency hearing, a federal judge blocked President Donald Trump from sending National Guard troops into Portland
-
Sarkozy behind bars: the conviction dividing France
In the Spotlight The former president of the republic has portrayed judicial investigation of his ties to Gaddafi regime as a left-wing witch-hunt
-
Museum head ousted after Trump sword gift denial
Speed Read Todd Arrington, who led the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, denied the Trump administration a sword from the collection as a gift for King Charles
-
Trump declares ‘armed conflict’ with drug cartels
speed read This provides a legal justification for recent lethal military strikes on three alleged drug trafficking boats
-
Supreme Court rules for Fed’s Cook in Trump feud
Speed Read Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook can remain in her role following Trump’s attempts to oust her
-
Judge rules Trump illegally targeted Gaza protesters
Speed Read The Trump administration’s push to arrest and deport international students for supporting Palestine is deemed illegal
-
Trump: US cities should be military ‘training grounds’
Speed Read In a hastily assembled summit, Trump said he wants the military to fight the ‘enemy within’ the US