The French government collapsed after Prime Minister Michel Barnier was ousted in a vote of no confidence.
MPs voted overwhelmingly in favor of the motion against him – just three months after he was appointed by President Emmanuel Macron.
Opposition parties had tabled the motion after the former Brexit negotiator controversially used special powers to push through his budget without a vote.
It is the first time since 1962 that the country’s government has collapsed in a vote of no confidence.
His overthrow will further France’s current political instability after snap elections in the summer left no group with a majority in parliament.
MPs had to either vote yes or abstain from Wednesday’s vote, with 288 votes needed to pass the motion. A total of 331 people voted in favor of the motion.
Both the far right and the radical left had tabled motions of no confidence after Barnier pushed through social security reforms on Monday by invoking a presidential decree after failing to gain sufficient support for the measures.
The left-wing alliance New Popular Front (NFP), which won the most seats in the parliamentary elections, had heavily criticized Macron’s decision to appoint the centrist Barnier over his own candidate.
Alongside the far-right National Rally (RN), she deemed Barnier’s budget – which included 60 billion euros in deficit reduction – unacceptable.
Before the vote, Barnier had told the National Assembly that voting him out of office would not solve the country’s financial problems.
“We have reached a moment of truth and responsibility,” he said, adding that “we must look at the reality of our debt.”
“I take no pleasure in proposing difficult measures.”
Barnier will likely stay on as caretaker while Macron chooses a successor.
Macron will not be directly affected by the outcome of the vote as France votes for its president separately from its government.
But the fallout has led to increasing calls for him to resign before his current term ends in 2027.
