France has been thrown into fresh political turmoil after lawmakers voted on Monday, September 8, to oust Prime Minister François Bayrou, leaving President Emmanuel Macron scrambling to appoint a new leader.
Bayrou lost a high-stakes confidence vote in parliament after pushing for a controversial €44 billion savings plan.
His proposals, which included scrapping two public holidays and freezing government spending, met fierce resistance.
In the end, 364 MPs voted against him, well above the 280 required to topple his nine-month-old government, while only 194 supported him.
The defeat makes Bayrou the second French prime minister in less than a year to fall to a no-confidence vote.
His predecessor, Michel Barnier, suffered the same fate last December.
The Élysée Palace confirmed that Bayrou will resign on Tuesday and Macron will announce a new prime minister in the coming days.
Speculation already points to Armed Forces Minister Sébastien Lecornu and Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin as frontrunners, though the role is seen as a political trap given the fractured parliament.
The ousting has rattled financial markets. Yields on French government bonds have jumped above those of Spain, Portugal, and Greece, reviving fears of a new eurozone debt crisis.
Analysts warn that a looming sovereign debt downgrade later this week could worsen France’s economic woes.
Bayrou, speaking before the vote, acknowledged the political gamble. “You have the power to bring down the government, but you do not have the power to erase reality,” he told MPs.
“Expenses will continue to rise, and the burden of debt will grow heavier and more costly.”
The collapse stems from Macron’s risky decision last year to call a snap election after far-right gains in the European Parliament polls.
The move left France with a divided legislature, where centrist governments struggle to win support from either the far right or far left. Both blocs have already threatened to call no-confidence votes against any new centrist appointee.
Pressure on Macron is growing. Marine Le Pen has demanded he dissolve parliament, but new elections could strengthen her National Rally party, which recent polls show leading ahead of Macron’s weakened centrist alliance.
Meanwhile, protests are brewing. The far left has called for mass demonstrations on Wednesday under the slogan “Bloquons tout” (“Let’s block everything”), while unions plan further mobilization later this month.
The timing could not be worse for Macron. France faces mounting borrowing costs, rising public anger over austerity, and heightened geopolitical tensions from the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.
Analysts warn that political instability in Paris could weaken Europe at a moment when rivals like Russia’s Vladimir Putin and America’s Donald Trump are eager to exploit cracks in the Western alliance.
With no easy options, Macron must now choose between naming another centrist risking an immediate repeat of Bayrou’s downfall or attempting a coalition with rivals, a move likely to spark fresh political gridlock.
For now, France’s fiscal mess remains unresolved, and its political future is uncertain.
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