French Far Right Joins Forces With Left to Topple Government
- Le Pen’s National Rally instrumental in bringing down Barnier
- Macron had appealed to lawmakers not to oust prime minister
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Far-right leader Marine Le Pen teamed up with a left-wing coalition to topple the French government, pitching the country into a prolonged period of turbulence that’s likely to further unsettle investors.
A majority of lawmakers in the National Assembly backed a no-confidence vote against Prime Minister Michel Barnier’s three-month-old administration following a dispute over next year’s budget. It was the shortest tenure for a premier since France’s Fifth Republic was founded in 1958.