The vote to remove Barnier was the first time a French government had been voted down by parliament in more than 60 years, a move Macron labelled “unprecedented”.
He thanked Barnier for his “dedication” and “unwillingness to give up” during his brief term.
Macron accused the French far right and hard left of collaborating in an “anti-republican front”.
Addressing voters directly, he said that some of his political opponents had chosen “chaos” and were not thinking “about you, the voters”, suggesting that their interest was in the next presidential elections.
Barnier is set to remain in office on a caretaker basis with his ministers until a new government is appointed.
Names for a new prime minister have been swirling, including Defence Minister Sébastien Lecornu, Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau and centrist former presidential candidate François Bayrou.
Macron said France could not afford to be “static”, and that the immediate focus for the new government would be the budget for 2025.
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