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00:00For the adoption, 331.
00:03The majority required has been reached. The first motion of censure has been adopted.
00:09Michel Barnier is no longer France's Prime Minister.
00:12The 73-year-old was ousted in a vote of no confidence in parliament on Wednesday evening.
00:18Addressing French MPs beforehand, Barnier called the vote a moment of truth and responsibility.
00:25What's at stake is our collective ability to make strides toward one another,
00:30to get over tensions and divisions that hurt our country so much,
00:34to have as sole compass the general interest.
00:41A majority of 331 lawmakers voted in favour of the motion.
00:46Barnier's leadership was called into question after he used special powers
00:50to push through his controversial budget without a vote on Monday.
00:54That led to an unlikely alliance between the radical left and the far right,
00:58who both tabled motions of no confidence after accusing Barnier of failing to listen to their demands.
01:05This is a historic day which holds a powerful message for the country.
01:10The only sovereign in the republic and in our democracy is the people.
01:14In a heated debate before the vote, the leader of the right-wing party, the Republicans,
01:18said the far right and the radical left were choosing chaos over responsibility.
01:23Barnier warned that ousting him would be catastrophic for state finances,
01:27as the country is struggling to tame a growing deficit.
01:30His fall from power is the latest turn in what has been a tumultuous few months for French politics.
01:36Appointed by President Emmanuel Macron in September,
01:39Barnier has been in office for nearly a year.
01:42Appointed by President Emmanuel Macron in September,
01:44Barnier has been in a vulnerable position from the start.
01:47Snap parliamentary elections in June left the National Assembly without an absolute majority.
01:52Macron will address the nation on Thursday evening.
01:56He is expected to appoint a new prime minister very quickly, potentially as early as this weekend.
02:02But any new face will come across the same challenges as Barnier in a divided parliament.
02:07A political deadlock which looks set to continue,
02:10as France can't hold new parliamentary elections before July next year.