France Opposition Calls for Impeachment of President Macron

(MENAFN) Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of the far-left France Unbowed (LFI) party, announced Saturday that the opposition has submitted a motion in Parliament calling for the impeachment of President Emmanuel Macron.

“He has to go,” Mélenchon declared at a news conference in Lille.

On the Gaza crisis, Mélenchon asserted that if his party were in power, the French Navy would be escorting the Global Sumud Flotilla vessels delivering humanitarian aid to Gaza.

He also predicted that Prime Minister François Bayrou’s government would collapse in a confidence vote scheduled for Monday, calling the potential outcome “a victory of the people.”

France is currently grappling with escalating political tensions as Bayrou prepares for a critical confidence vote in the National Assembly.

Bayrou, who introduced a 2026 budget framework in July, is seeking backing for a plan aimed at cutting nearly €44 billion ($51 billion) to curb France’s swelling public debt, which stands at 113% of GDP.

The country also faces one of the European Union’s largest budget deficits at 5.8%.

Warning that France is “on the brink of over-indebtedness,” Bayrou urged lawmakers to prioritize “responsibility over chaos.”

Opposition parties spanning the political spectrum—from the far-left LFI and far-right National Rally (RN) to the Socialists—have pledged to oppose the government in the upcoming vote.

Budget negotiations remain a flashpoint in French politics. Last year’s failure to agree on the 2025 budget triggered the collapse of the Michel Barnier government in December after an alliance of left-wing and far-right parties passed a no-confidence motion.

The upcoming vote could determine the stability of Bayrou’s administration amid mounting economic challenges and widespread political unrest.

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