The government of President Emmanuel Macron collapsed Wednesday after the National Assembly voted for the first time in more than a half-century to oust a prime minister from office, a sign of the political gridlock that has paralyzed France,

France's government on Wednesday faces a no confidence vote that could spell the end of the short-lived administration of Prime Minister Michel Barnier, plunging the country into uncharted waters of political chaos.

French Prime Minister Michel Barnier used a constitutional tool to push through parts of his unpopular budget bill without a parliamentary vote, raising the prospect lawmakers could dissolve his government within a matter of days.