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.
Regional economic cooperation took centre stage in Baku as the 28th Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of the Black Sea Trade and Development Ba...
Thousands of mourners gathered in Tehran on Sunday as Iran held funeral prayers for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and four members of his family on the secon...
Humanoid robots stumbled, collided and recovered as they battled for the RoboCup 2026 football title on Sunday (5 July), showcasing the latest advance...
U.S. President Donald Trump addressed crowds on Washington's National Mall on Saturday night after severe weather delayed his appearance at celebratio...
New details have emerged from the closely guarded wedding of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, who married on Friday (3 July) in an intimate garden speci...
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for the 5th of July, covering the latest developments you need to know.
France will face Morocco in the World Cup quarter-finals after edging past Paraguay 1-0, while the Atlas Lions booked their place with a convincing 3-0 victory over Canada, ending the co-hosts' historic run in the tournament.
French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to use next week's NATO summit in Ankara to advance his push for greater European responsibility in security, with a bilateral meeting planned with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as Paris seeks closer coordination with key allies.
Hundreds of firefighters are battling multiple wildfires across France, amid strong winds and dry conditions, as the country’s heatwave persists.
Russia's Defence Ministry has said its forces are clearing the town of Lyman in Donetsk of Ukrainian forces, Moscow's state news agency Tass reported. Meanwhile, Russian attacks killed at least six people across three Ukrainian regions on Friday, regional officials said.
President Donald Trump said Iran is keen to reach a deal with the United States, claiming Washington had paused engagement to allow funeral ceremonies for late Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Governments are tightening restrictions on teenagers’ use of social media amid growing concerns over mental health, online safety and platform design, but questions remain over enforcement and whether bans can meaningfully change behaviour.
Thousands of mourners gathered in Tehran on Sunday as Iran held funeral prayers for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and four members of his family on the second day of mass processions. Three of Khamenei's sons attended the ceremony, while his successor, Mojtaba Khamenei, made no public appearance.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has congratulated U.S. President Donald Trump on the 250th anniversary of American independence, saying Russia and the United States share a special responsibility for maintaining global security as the world's two largest nuclear powers.
Juan Zapata was just finishing dinner in his fifth-floor apartment overlooking the Caribbean when the twin earthquakes struck Venezuela’s coast on the 24 June, hurling him across the room and into a collapse of concrete and steel.
U.S. President Donald Trump has offered to help find a solution to the war in Ukraine during a 90-minute phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to the Kremlin.
Wildfires are continuing to burn across southern Europe, forcing people from their homes, damaging property and stretching emergency services as high temperatures and dry conditions create ideal conditions for fast-moving fires.
For the first time in six years, Indian traders are crossing through the Lipulekh Pass in the Himalayas into Tibet to do business.
U.S. President Donald Trump addressed crowds on Washington's National Mall on Saturday night after severe weather delayed his appearance at celebrations marking the United States' 250th independence anniversary.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment