The French government collapsed after Prime Minister Francois Bayrou lost a crucial confidence vote in parliament on September 8. Mr Bayrou is the second consecutive prime minister under President Emmanuel Macron to be dismissed.
A no-confidence motion in parliament needs at least 288 votes to pass. The motion received 364 votes on 8 September, with the support of the left-wing New Popular Front and the right-wing National Rally, to end months of deadlock over Mr Bayrou’s austerity budget.
Having survived several previous no-confidence votes, Mr Bayrou called the vote himself, seeking support for a proposal to save nearly 44 billion euros to reduce France’s public debt before the budget is presented to parliament in October.
Prime Minister Bayrou, who has repeatedly warned that France’s public debt poses a “mortal danger” to the country, appears to have resigned himself to his fate. In a stinging speech on 7 September, Mr Bayrou criticised opposition parties that he said “hated each other” but were banding together to “overthrow the government”.
Mr Bayrou is the second French prime minister in a row to be dismissed, after Michel Barnier was fired in December after just three months in office, and the sixth prime minister to serve under President Macron since he was first elected in 2017.
Bayrou’s ouster leaves the French president with two options: appoint a Socialist prime minister to pass the budget, effectively giving up control of domestic policy, or call an early election that polls suggest would favour Marine Le Pen’s National Rally party.
With Macron’s approval ratings at record lows, either option risks further weakening his presidency. Analysts warn that if markets lose confidence in France’s ability to control its growing deficit and debt, the country could face a similar turmoil to Liz Truss’s brief premiership in Britain.
In the short term, President Emmanuel Macron – who is facing calls from the opposition to dissolve parliament and resign – will have to find a new prime minister. His office said he would make a decision in the coming days.
The next government’s most pressing task will be to pass a budget, the same challenge that Bayrou faced when he took office nine months ago. Winning the support of a divided parliament will be equally difficult.
“You have the power to topple the government, but you do not have the power to erase reality,” Bayrou told lawmakers before losing the confidence vote.
“The reality will remain: costs will continue to rise, and the debt burden, already unsustainable, will become heavier and more costly,” he said.
Bayrou’s office said he would submit his resignation on Tuesday (9 September).