Barnier himself accused the lawmakers of acting irresponsibility by bringing down his government.
“I cannot accept the idea that institutional destabilization could be the objective that brings together a majority of lawmakers at a moment when our country faces a deep moral, economic, financial and civic crisis,” he said before the vote.
There’s nothing, however, to suggest it would be easier to form a government capable of winning the endorsement of a parliament split three ways than it was three months ago. Dissolution is also not an option, as Macron can’t call new elections until summer 2025.
“This [National] Assembly is impossible,” Barnier told his ministers gathered in the Matignon palace after the vote, according to a participant there who spoke on the condition of anonymity in line with French protocol. “I sincerely wish the next team the best of luck.”
In the immediate term, France must prepare for uncharted territory.
The country will almost certainly enter the new year without a budget, and while Barnier could be asked to stay on as a caretaker and put forward emergency laws, such measures would do nothing to bring down a deficit — currently projected at 6.1 percent of gross domestic product — that has frightened financial markets and drawn rebuke from Brussels.
