French Prime Minister Michel Barnier is expected to resign on Friday after far-right and leftist lawmakers voted to topple his government, plunging France into its second major political crisis in six months.
Barnier, a veteran politician who was formerly the European Union's Brexit negotiator, will be the shortest serving prime minister in modern French history. No French government had lost a confidence vote since Georges Pompidou's in 1962.
The hard left and far right punished Barnier for ramming an unpopular budget through an unruly hung parliament without a vote. The draft budget had sought 60 billion euros ($63.07 billion) in savings in a drive to shrink a gaping deficit.
Barnier's resignation will cap weeks of tensions over the budget, which Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally said was too harsh on working people. It also further weakens the standing of President Emmanuel Macron, who precipitated the current crisis with an ill-fated decision to call a snap election ahead of the summer Paris Olympics.
Macron faces growing calls to resign, but he has a mandate until 2027 and cannot be pushed out. Still, the long-running political debacle has left him a diminished figure.
France now risks ending the year without a stable government or a 2025 budget, although the constitution allows special measures that would avert a U.S.-style government shutdown.
France's political turmoil will further weaken a European Union already reeling from the implosion of Germany's coalition government, and weeks before U.S. President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House.
Trump is due to visit Paris on Saturday for the unveiling of the renovated Notre Dame cathedral, and Macron wants to name a prime minister before then, Reuters reported on Wednesday.
France now faces a period of deep political uncertainty that is already unnerving investors in French sovereign bonds and stocks. Earlier this week, France's borrowing costs briefly exceeded those of Greece, generally considered far more risky.
Any new prime minister would face the same challenges as Barnier in getting bills, including the 2025 budget, adopted by a divided parliament. There can be no new parliamentary election before July.
U.S. President Donald Trump has cancelled Secret Service protection for Democratic Presidential candidate and former Vice President, Kamala Harris acc...
Georgia’s ruling party is pointing to recent remarks by former USAID Administrator Samantha Power as evidence that U.S. aid programs are used to inf...
The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that Afghanistan is facing a worsening humanitarian and health crisis in 2025, with millions of returni...
A woman pinned beneath concrete, a man with a badly broken leg, a child trapped under the rubble....
Russia has supported Azerbaijan and Armenia’s decision to dissolve the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group, stat...
Britain, France and Germany are likely to trigger United Nations sanctions on Iran on Thursday over its nuclear programme according to sources, while giving Tehran 30 days to make commitments. Inspectors have returned for the first time since June, as talks have yet to yield concrete agreements.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for the 28th of August, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Business leaders in France have expressed concern over the economic impact of the ongoing crisis in government triggering fears of a recession.
France’s minority government looks increasingly likely to be ousted next month after three main opposition parties said they would not back a confidence vote which Prime Minister François Bayrou announced for 8 September over his plans for sweeping €44 billion budget cuts.
A powerful eruption at Japan’s Shinmoedake volcano sent an ash plume more than 3,000 metres high on Sunday morning, prompting safety warnings from authorities.
According to the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), a magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck the Oaxaca region of Mexico on Saturday.
The UK is gearing up for Exercise Pegasus 2025, its largest pandemic readiness test since COVID-19. Running from September to November, this full-scale simulation will challenge the country's response to a fast-moving respiratory outbreak.
Music mega-star Taylor Swift and National Football League player Travis Kelce announced their engagement. “Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married," the couple wrote in a joint Instagram post, alongside photos of Kelce proposing to Swift in a garden of pink and white flowers.
U.S. President Donald Trump has cancelled Secret Service protection for Democratic Presidential candidate and former Vice President, Kamala Harris according to a senior White House official.
Georgia’s ruling party is pointing to recent remarks by former USAID Administrator Samantha Power as evidence that U.S. aid programs are used to influence political regimes abroad. The comments, made during a prank interview, have fueled debate in Tbilisi over sovereignty, NGOs, and foreign funding.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that Afghanistan is facing a worsening humanitarian and health crisis in 2025, with millions of returning refugees expected to stretch the country’s already fragile health system.
A woman pinned beneath concrete, a man with a badly broken leg, a child trapped under the rubble.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is due to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday, as relations between the two Asian powers show signs of warming thanks to U.S. President Donald Trump’s imposition of steep tariffs on New Delhi.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment