French far-right leader Marine Le Pen claims government collapse 'is not a victory'

France's National Assembly — the lower house of the Parliament — toppled Prime Minister Michel Barnier's government on Wednesday night.

A total of 331 MPs, from the left-wing coalition New Popular Front (NFP) and the far-right National Rally, voted in favour of the no-confidence motion, out of 577 lawmakers.

The move has thrown the country into a period of political and economic uncertainty, just six months after President Emmanuel Macron dissolved the National Assembly following his party’s heavy loss in the EU elections.

How different parties reacted to the outcome?

The reactions have so far been mixed in the political sphere.

Mathilde Panot, the leader of the hard-left party France Unbowed (LFI), part of the NFP coalition, welcomed the outcome, telling reporters: "Today is a historic day... Today we have defended democracy."

“The chaos is not us, it was Emmanuel Macron for the past seven years,” she added before asking the French president to resign.

Calls for Macron to step down have been mounting among various opposition parties.

However, he is not obliged to do so as his term in office ends in spring 2027.

However, Olivier Faure, leader of the Socialist Party (PS) and a member of the NFP coalition, said that he does not think Macron’s resignation is "a good solution" to the political crisis.

On the far-right, Marine Le Pen, the prominent figure of the National Rally party, adopted a grave tone during an interview with French TV channel TF1 on Wednesday night.

"There was no other solution”, Le Pen said, claiming she does not consider the result of the vote as "a victory."

When asked whether Macron should resign, Marine Le Pen said that she does not call for early presidential elections. “He alone will make that decision,” she added.

When it comes to the country's budget plan for 2025, Le Pen emphasized that her party will “let them work" and that they will "co-construct, not just with the RN but with all the forces in the Assembly, a budget that is acceptable to everyone."

Other politicians criticised the vote’s outcome.

Valérie Pécresse, the right-wing President of the Paris region, called it "a sad day for France" and defended Michel Barnier, saying he had tried to steer the country back on track in a post on X.

Outgoing Finance Minister Antoine Armand accused the left and far-right of "joining forces to destabilise the country."

Emmanuel Macron is set to address the nation on Thursday evening, but his team has not yet provided any details on when a new prime minister will be appointed.