French PM Francois Bayrou exits after losing a confidence vote, triggering fresh political turmoil (The New York Times)
France is once again facing political turmoil after Prime Minister Francois Bayrou was defeated in a dramatic vote of confidence in Parliament on Monday. The loss follows hot on the heels of Bayrou's warning to lawmakers that France's "life-threatening" debt had left the country no choice but to adopt strictness.
Bayrou, 74, served just nine months in office. He will resign on Tuesday. President Emmanuel Macron is now facing the challenge of appointing his fifth prime minister within a space of less than two years a challenge that highlights the weakness of his government. The office of the president confirmed that "within coming days" a successor would be appointed.
At the heart of the confrontation was Bayrou's unpopular plan to reduce public expenditure by €44 billion ($52 billion). The proposal was designed to tame France's runaway deficit, which was almost twice the EU's three percent threshold. However, lawmakers from all sides opposed the policies, contending that they would disproportionately affect hard-pressed ordinary citizens.
The National Assembly overwhelmingly cast its votes against Bayrou, with 364 against and only 194 for him. Even some conservatives who normally supported him defected. For Bayrou, it was what onlookers referred to as a "crushing defeat."
The confidence vote has encouraged left and far-right opponents alike. France Unbowed's Jean-Luc Melenchon declared on X that "Macron is now on the front line facing the people. He too must go." Far-right National Rally's Marine Le Pen shared similar thoughts, demanding snap elections and referring to the collapsed government as a "phantom administration."
The turmoil is the second time in a year Macron has lost a prime minister through parliamentary revolt. Michel Barnier, who briefly held the post in 2024, was forced out after only three months. Analysts say Macron now faces dwindling options: either appoint a centrist from the conservative ranks or attempt a compromise with the socialists both risky moves that could further fracture Parliament.
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The crisis arrives as unions organize new rounds of strikes and protests, which threaten to immobilize the nation even further. The financial markets are paying close attention as well, with economists warning that France needs to put forward a credible plan to contain its debt immediately or face further instability.
For Macron, the task is not so much nominating a new prime minister as one who can shatter the impasse in a split Parliament. France is stuck in limbo meanwhile, with pressure building for a president increasingly trapped domestically even as he navigates foreign responsibilities offstage.
