French Prime Minister Michel Barnier (C) ahead of his general policy statement to the French National Assembly in Paris on October 1, 2024. Barnier, a right-wing former EU Brexit negotiator, was appointed three weeks ago by French President to bring some stability after the political chaos created by a hung parliament that resulted from snap elections this summer.
Alain Jocard | Afp | Getty Images
French lawmakers will debate and vote on the no-confidence motions filed against the government of Michel Barnier on Wednesday.
The motions, which have been tabled by the opposition left-wing bloc and by the far-right National Rally party, will be debated at around 4 p.m., the National Assembly said in a social media post.
The government must step down if the either measure is approved by parliament.
It comes after French Prime Minister Barnier on Monday opted to push through a highly-contested budget bill without a vote in parliament by deploying special constitutional powers.
It is unclear what will happen next, if the government is toppled. New parliamentary elections cannot be held until next June, 12 months after the last snap vote that was called by French President Emmanuel Macron this year.
Macron will also need to appoint a new prime minister — a politically charged task, given the fractured nature of the current parliament.
– CNBC’s Holly Ellyatt contributed to this story.