Claim
A channel on X, @ POGrassRootM, claimed that there are plans to impeach the current French president, Emmanuel Macron.
Verdict
This claim is MISLEADING.
Simple findings showed that it was the French Prime Minister, Michel Barnier, who had been ousted in a dramatic no-confidence vote just three months into his tenure. There’s a difference between the French President and the Prime Minister
The French president, Macron will stay in office until 2027.
Full Text
A channel on X, @POGrassRootM, has claimed that the current French President, Emmanuel Macron, will be Impeached soon.
The X user asked, “Now the French President will be impeached, who will implement whatever agreements he signed with Bola Tinubu?”
The post garnered over 34k views, 194 reposts, and more than 700 likes in X.
Background
Recently, President Bola Tinubu’s three-day state visit to France saw the formal inauguration of Zenith Bank’s operations in France and the signing of key agreements aimed at fostering long-term collaboration in critical sectors, including infrastructure, energy, agriculture, and solid minerals.
These were:
• Letter of Intent signed between the Nigerian government and the French Development Agency (AFD) on long-term support for Nigeria’s energy access and transition, sustainable agriculture, and food security.
• MoU signed between the Nigerian government, the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development, and the French government to develop joint projects focused on diversifying and promoting the critical minerals value chain in both countries
• Nigeria and France are committed to enhancing collaboration in infrastructure, healthcare, transportation, the agricultural value chain, renewable energy, and human capital development.
Verification
On 4th December, French Prime Minister Michel Barnier was Impeached in a dramatic no-confidence vote, just three months into his tenure, throwing France into a political crisis.
CNN reports that a total of 331 out of 577 lawmakers voted against Barnier’s fragile centrist government on Wednesday, making him the first prime minister to fall to such a motion since 1962.
The defeat comes after Barnier’s controversial decision to push through the 2025 budget using a constitutional loophole, bypassing a parliamentary vote—a move that triggered outrage across the political spectrum.
Barnier, a veteran centrist appointed by President Emmanuel Macron to lead a minority government after a fractured snap election in the summer, now holds the dubious distinction of being France’s shortest-serving prime minister.
This is to clarify that it was the French Prime Minister who was removed not the President.
Recall that in October, a proposal to impeach President Emmanuel Macron, brought against him by the radical left, was rejected by the Assemblée Nationale’s Laws Committee on Wednesday, October 2. At the end of a “very good-quality” debate, with “very in-depth discussions,” according to the committee’s president, Florent Boudié (Macron’s Renaissance party), the MPs overwhelmingly rejected, with 54 votes against and 15 for, a motion for the constitution of a joint parliamentary session known as a “High Court” to examine the impeachment proposal signed by all MPs from the La France Insoumise (LFI, radical left) party as well as a few Greens and Communists.
Difference between the French Prime Minister and President
Clarifying further, The prime minister is the holder of the second-highest office in France, after the president of France. The president, who appoints but cannot dismiss the prime minister, can request resignation. The Government of France, including the prime minister, can be dismissed by the National Assembly.
The president is directly elected by the French people every five years. The French Constitution declares him head of state and gives him control over foreign policy and defense.
After parliamentary elections—held every five years, or sooner if the president calls them—the president appoints a prime minister. The appointment requires the approval of Parliament, so the PM almost always comes from the party that controls the chamber. The prime minister serves as head of government and is in charge of domestic policy and day-to-day governing. He also recommends for presidential approval the other members of his Cabinet.
Macron will appoint a new Prime Minister
French President Emmanuel Macron said he will name a new prime minister “in the coming days” after Michel Barnier resigned following a no-confidence vote in parliament.
In a 10-minute address to the nation on Thursday, he rejected opposition pressure to stand down, vowing to stay in his post “fully, until the end of the mandate” in 2027.
He thanked Barnier for his dedication during his brief term as prime minister and accused the French far right and hard left of collaborating in an “anti-republican front” to bring down the government.
Conclusion
The claim that Macron will be Impeached soon is MISLEADING. The Prime Minister, Michel Barnier was impeached a few days ago.
Credit: FactWatch
