Michel Barnier was forced to hand in his resignation as France’s Prime Minister after a majority of parliamentarians supported a no-confidence motion led by the progressive New Popular Front (Nouveau Front Populaire, NFP) on December 4. The motion was triggered by Barnier’s attempt to push through an austerity-driven 2025 budget, which faced widespread opposition both in the National Assembly and among the working class.
Barnier’s administration had been in office for just three months, and will now go down as one of the shortest-lived in French history. The situation already sparked warnings about a looming political crisis, as the country finds itself under pressure from EU institutions due to deficit management matters. The failed budget aimed at addressing these issues through cuts to public services and social rights. It also included concessions to the far-right National Rally’s xenophobic policies on immigration in an attempt to secure parliamentary support. This gamble backfired as the National Rally ended up backing the no-confidence vote, calling the budget toxic.
Read more: Macron’s prime minister faces no-confidence vote over budget proposal
Such political instability is less common in France compared to other European countries, but it has not led to a complete collapse. The NFP, which became the largest parliamentary group after snap elections earlier this year, is pressing for the chance to form a government. Lucie Castets, the NFP’s prime ministerial candidate, called: “Let us return to the two lessons of the legislative elections: no to the extreme right, yes to a change of political direction. Let’s finally tackle the concerns of the French people—hospitals, schools, poverty, and employment.”
Progressive leaders hold that President Emmanuel Macron is the main culprit for the ongoing crisis. After the second round of elections in July, Macron argued that an “extreme left” government would lead to chaos, but it was his insistence on neoliberal policies and reliance on far-right support that has finally led to turmoil. “The person responsible for this situation has a name: Emmanuel Macron,” said Mathilde Panot of France Unbowed.
Panot and other members of France Unbowed are calling for Macron’s resignation, a demand that has gained traction in recent months through a campaign spearheaded by the party. They argue that true stability and renewal are impossible as long as there is a president who continues to push increasingly stringent policies despite dissent among the people. In the lead-up to the no-confidence vote, polls indicated that a majority of the French public supported Macron stepping down if Barnier’s administration fell.
However, Macron’s resignation remains extremely unlikely—a scenario he dismissed as “political fiction.” More likely, he will soon appoint a new Prime Minister, possibly in a caretaker role. This could give Macron room to attempt to divide the NFP by appointing a Socialist Party member as prime minister, as some analyses have suggested, undermining the progressive coalition and its platform for systemic change.
