The 2nd-Largest Economy of the European Union France Plunged into a Major Political Crisis Wednesday as the Parliament Okayed a no-Confidence Motion Against Prime Minister Michel Barnier

The second-largest economy of the European Union, France, plunged into a major political crisis Wednesday (Dec 4) as the parliament okayed a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Michel Barnier.

The PM’s exit came just three months after his appointment by President Emmanuel Macron, making his tenure the shortest in the last 60 years.

Barnier Thursday arrived at the Elysee Palace to submit his resignation and that of his government to Macron.

In France, prime ministers are appointed by the president, but the National Assembly has the powers to reject the candidate.

As of now, the French Parliament is heavily divided into three groups Macron’s centrist group, Le Pen’s far right-wing camp and a group of leftist parties.

The snap elections held in June ended in no party or bloc getting an absolute majority, kick-starting a phase of political uncertainty.

Following two months of uncertainty, Macron had appointed Barnier as the country’s PM in September after getting initial support from the National Rally.

What happens next?
According to experts, Macron will have to find a new prime minister to replace Barnier, which is anything but an easy task given how divided the parliament is.

Normally, the crisis could have been resolved by calling fresh parliamentary elections but those can only be held after July.

According to the French Constitution, the National Assembly must remain in place for at least a year since the election, and the previous elections were held in June of this year.

For time being, Macron can ask Barnier and his ministers to continue with their caretaker government.

The urgency is real as the new prime minister would have to deal with the herculean task of getting the budget approved for the year 2025 and prevent an economic crisis.

France is also bracing for large scale strikes by public sector officials.

The unions of civil servants, including teachers and air-traffic controllers, have called on their members to hold strikes over cost-cutting measures on Thursday.

Once a caretaker government is formed, it can propose emergency legislation to continue the tax-and-spend provisions in the 2024 budget into next year or it can simply invoke special powers to pass the budget using a decree.

But that might further deepen the divide amongst the ruling and opposition groups.