French government is ousted less than three months in office after left and far-right team up

Michel Barnier on Wednesday became the French Fifth Republic's shortest-serving prime minister after the leftist New Popular Front (NFP) alliance and the far-right National Rally (RN) party joined forces to bring him down during a no-confidence vote.

Barnier’s government was toppled with 331 votes backing the motion of censure. A majority of 288 votes was required. 

The 73-year-old will have lasted just 91 days in office, while his government, made up of centrist and right-wing ministers, served just 74 days. 

Barnier’s government - the first to be toppled by a motion of censure in more than 60 years - became the target of two separate no-confidence votes on Monday after it used Article 49.3 of the constitution to bypass a parliamentary vote and ram through its social security budget.

The social security budget bill is now also rejected.

The overall budget put forward by the government had planned for €60 billion of spending cuts in 2025 in a bid to tame the country's spiralling public deficit (at 112% of Gross Domestic Product) and deficit (at 6% of GDP) which both greatly exceed EU limits.

Barnier helmed a fragile minority government made up of centrist parties loyal to President Emmanuel Macron and the right-wing Les Républicains party (LR) from which he hails. But their alliance was informal and 77 seats shy of the absolute majority, with the RN, the biggest party in the National Assembly with 124 seats, cast in the role of kingmaker.

Concessions made in the eleventh hour to Marine Le Pen, who helms the RN group in the lower chamber, over an increase in electricity taxes and lower drug reimbursements failed to gather her support as Barnier refused to budge on the de-indexation of pensions.

The four-time minister and