The Barnier government (French: gouvernement Barnier) was the 45th government of France during the period of the French Fifth Republic. It was formed in September 2024 after President Emmanuel Macron appointed Michel Barnier as Prime Minister on 5 September, replacing Gabriel Attal. It was a caretaker government from 5 December until its dissolution on 13 December 2024.
On 5 September, Barnier was invited by Emmanuel Macron to "form a unity government". With only 212 out of 577 seats in the National Assembly, the centre-right coalition began as one of the smallest minority governments in French history, having to rely in the lower house on support or neutrality from other parties, including the National Rally. It taking office also marked the first time under the Fifth Republic a government had a legislative majority in the Senate, but not in the National Assembly.
On 4 December 2024, the Barnier government collapsed after the National Assembly passed a motion of no confidence in a 331–244 vote. It was the first French government to be toppled by Parliament since 1962. Following the vote, Barnier and his government resigned the following day and continued as caretaker government until a new government was formed.
Context
After the dissolution of the 16th legislature by Macron on 9 June 2024, the early legislative election took place on 30 June and 7 July. While the National Rally was originally anticipated to obtain a majority or plurality, it came third in seats behind the New Popular Front and Ensemble.
Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, having only served six months in office, offered his resignation to Macron, who accepted it on 16 July. The day before the opening of the Paris Olympic Games, the New Popular Front designated Lucie Castets to be its candidate for the premiership. In reaction, arguing that "no one won [the elections]", Macron announced the holding of consultations to form a government.
On 16 August, at the end of the Olympic Games, Macron invited party leaders and presidents of parliamentary groups from both chambers to the Palais de l'Élysée on 23 August to try to form a government. After the President met the party leaders and the presidents of parliamentary groups, Macron's office announced in a press release on 26 August that Castets would not be appointed prime minister.
On 2 September, Emmanuel Macron met with Bernard Cazeneuve, former Socialist Prime Minister from 2016 to 2017, and Xavier Bertrand, current Hauts-de-France region president, as they were touted as top contenders for the premiership. Faced with the risk of a successful vote of no confidence, the appointment of Michel Barnier was considered on 4 September. On 5 September, almost two months after the second round of legislative elections, Macron appointed him as PM. While the NFP announced it would move a motion of no confidence against any government not led by them, the National Rally announced that it would wait for the general policy statement of the new government before deciding whether to support any motions of no confidence.
Barnier's appointment was met with ire from the NFP and its supporters, who claimed that Macron's appointment of a conservative PM favorable to Macron's centrist policies was unrepresentative of the voting results, and amounted to a "denial of democracy". Left-wing parties called on their members to join the nationwide demonstrations, with the Socialist Party being the only main alliance member of the NFP to not explicitly call on its supporters to participate. Protests were held on 7 September 2024. According to organizers, roughly 300,000 participated, with about 160,000 protesting in Paris. France's Interior Ministry estimated that there were 110,000 nationwide protesters, with 26,000 in Paris.
On 9 October, the Barnier government survived a no-confidence vote brought by the New Popular Front, which fell 92 votes short of the 289 needed. The National Rally allowed the government to survive the motion by abstaining from the vote.
Collapse
In mid-October 2024, Barnier presented his government's proposal for the 2025 government budget to the National Assembly. Focused on reducing the budget deficit, the proposal included a wide range of austerity measures, including forty billion euros of spending cuts and twenty billion euros of tax increases.
The budget proposal received significant criticism from the left, with Socialist Party leader Olivier Faure accusing Barnier of "turning towards the far-right to avoid a no-confidence vote."
On 2 December, Barnier pushed through a social security financing bill, using Article 49.3, which allows a vote of no confidence. A motion of no confidence was called by the New Popular Front and the National Rally resulting in the collapse of the government.
The motion was debated on 4 December. In his closing remarks, Barnier claimed that it had been "an honor for me to have served France and the French with dignity" and that a no confidence vote would "make everything more serious and more difficult."
The motion passed 331–244, toppling the government three months after its formation and making it the shortest-lived government in the history of the French Fifth Republic. It was also the first French government to lose a motion of no-confidence since Georges Pompidou's in 1962.
Vote
Ultimately, 331 deputies, a majority of the National Assembly, voted for no confidence in the government.
All deputies belonging to the left-wing alliance voted in favor, except for Sophie Pantel and Julien Brugerolles. 123 of the 124 National Rally deputies also voted in favour (with Sophie Blanc not voting), as did all UDR deputies.
Caledonian Union deputy Emmanuel Tjibaou did not participate.
Reactions
Financial
Moody's Ratings warned that the government's collapse "deepens the country's political stalemate" and "reduces the probability of a consolidation of public finances."
Author Éric Brunet described the collapse as "jaw-droppingly French," saying that there was "no pragmatism. Just ideology. All the speeches were about values, about extremes. Our whole discourse is disconnected from reality." Simon Toubeau of the University of Nottingham described the collapse as a "persistence of the competitive and majoritarian instincts of France's politicians that engendered this crisis," adding that while Macron was "content to partner with the others to keep the RN out of power, these noble sentiments evaporated when it came to governing."
Politicians
Republican politician and minister of the interior in the Barnier government Bruno Retailleau stated that the right "cannot make a compromise with the left" in forming a new government.
National Rally leader Marine Le Pen stated that she did not want Macron to resign, but called on him to "respect the voice of voters and show respect for political forces and respect for elections."
Senator Anne Souyris of The Ecologists stated that the collapse proved that Macron "has not taken stock of what is happening" in France.
Unions and NGOs
General Confederation of Labour secretary general Sophie Binet claimed that Macron's "supply-side policy is leading us into a wall. It is a catastrophe, an economic and social disaster."
Composition
Barnier's ministers were named on 21 September, formed of centrists and conservatives. All ministers are placed in the order of precedence defined by the Order of the Protocol defined by the Elysée when the government was announced.
Aftermath
On 5 December, over 130,000 public sector workers held a one-day strike in protest against Barnier's budget proposal, with the aim of warning Macron that doubling-down on the proposed austerity measures would cause further unrest.
At 19:00 that day, Macron gave a televised speech addressing the government's collapse. In the speech, Macron vowed to stay in office until the end of his term in 2027, to name a new prime minister shortly, and to present an emergency law to ensure taxes could still be collected and a government shutdown avoided in the new year. He also accused the National Rally and the New Popular Front of uniting in an "anti-republican front," saying that "they chose disorder."