On December 4, the French government collapsed after Prime Minister Michael Barnier was ousted from parliament in a no-confidence vote.
A no-confidence vote is a vote that shows that the majority of people do not trust or support policies being put out by a current government or the current leader.
This government collapse comes from the president Macron’s controversial decision to dissolve parliament in June after deciding to hold an early election following his centrist allies, having been dealt a devastating blow in votes after the last election.
The New Popular Front (NFP) was led by Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who had won the largest number of seats in parliament, leading to a divided parliament of left, right, and center-leaning people, with no party having a clear majority.
With a small advantage in numbers, the NFP wanted to be declared the head of government. At this news, Macron rejected the proposal, leading to Macron instead making Barnier the head, giving the right and center an advantage in parliament.
With this appointment, Barnier had hoped to continue the alt-right and centrist views, giving leeway to bills such as one in support of stricter immigration and costs of living.
Barnier, before his leave, decided to invoke Article 49.3, giving the government the ability to pass legislation without the approval of parliament.
However the catch with this article, is that it gives parliament the chance to pass a no-confidence vote before Article 49.3 is able to be passed.
With this no-confidence vote, Macron’s presidency was called into question, with many saying that Macron should resign.
However Macron’s mandate would not run out until the beginning of 2027, leading to his time in presidency having to stay as it is until 2027. This blunder in politics has led to many people calling him a “failure”, especially by left-wingers.
With there being no head of government and Macron being pushed into a corner, the future of France is now in a state of uncertainty.
Investors have now started pulling out of France, worrying that with the new year and a rocky government, the economy of France has now been something to call into question. This has especially been worrisome after France has been borrowing more money recently, worrying not only investors but citizens as well.
This collapse is also worrisome for the European Union (UN), which has already been in problems since Germany’s government has had complications, especially trying to brace for a Trump presidency due to their fear of Trump’s tariff policies for their own economy.
With this government shutdown, schools, air and railroad companies have now developed fear of being shut down, as now there is no government being able to help these companies keep their low costs.
This has also led to many organizations beginning to develop the idea of beginning mass protests in order to fight for their current conditions.
With the constitution, Macron must hold elections in July in order to appoint a new head of government, but until then, France is ruled without someone with power to help with laws and determine what is right for the people.