French PM Ousted In Parliament Confidence Vote

(MENAFN- Gulf Times) France's parliament on Monday ousted the government of Prime Minister Francois Bayrou after just nine months in office, leaving President Emmanuel Macron rushing to find a viable successor within the coming days.
Bayrou had blindsided even his allies by calling a confidence vote to end a lengthy standoff over his austerity budget, which foresaw almost 44 billion euros ($52 billion) of cost savings to reduce France's debt pile.
In the vote in the National Assembly, 364 deputies voted that they had no confidence in the government while just 194 gave it their confidence. "In line with article 50 of the constitution, the prime minister must submit the resignation of his government," said speaker Yael Braun-Pivet.
Bayrou became the first premier in the history of modern France to be ousted in a confidence vote rather than a no-confidence vote.
The French presidency said in a statement that Macron "took note" of the outcome and said he would name a new premier "in the next days", ending any remaining speculation that the president could instead call snap elections.
Macron will meet Bayrou Tuesday "to accept the resignation of his government", it added.
Bayrou is the sixth prime minister under Macron since his 2017 election but the fifth since 2022.
Bayrou's ousting leaves the French head of state with a new domestic headache at a time when he is leading diplomatic efforts over Russia's war on Ukraine war.
But defending his decision to call the high-risk confidence vote, Bayrou told the National Assembly: "The biggest risk was not to take one, to let things continue without anything changing... and have business as usual."
Describing the debt pile as "life-threatening" for France, Bayrou said his government had put forward a plan so that the country could "in a few years' time escape the inexorable tide of debt that is submerging it".
Macron now faces one of the most critical decisions of his presidency over who to appoint as the seventh prime minister of an increasingly turbulent mandate.
The Socialist Party (PS) has expressed readiness to lead a new government but it is far from clear whether such an administration led by a figure such as PS leader Olivier Faure could survive.
"I think it's time for the left to govern this country again and make sure we can break with the policies of the last eight years," Faure told TF1 television.
Heavyweight right-wing cabinet ministers, such as Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin, are trusted by Macron but risk being voted out by the left.
Lower-profile options but who could find a centre-left consensus include Health Minister Catherine Vautrin or Finance Minister Eric Lombard.
According to a poll by Odoxa-Backbone for Le Figaro newspaper, 64 percent of the French want Macron to resign rather than name a new prime minister, a move he has ruled out.
He is forbidden from standing for a third term in 2027.
Alongside political upheaval, France is also facing social tensions.
A left-wing collective named "Block Everything" is calling for a day of action on Wednesday, and trade unions have urged workers to strike on September 18.
The 2027 presidential election meanwhile remains wide open, with analysts predicting the French far-right will have its best-ever chance of winning.
Three-time presidential candidate for the National Rally (RN) Marine Le Pen suffered a blow in March when a French court convicted her and other party officials over an EU parliament fake jobs scam.
Le Pen was sentenced to four years' imprisonment, two of which were suspended, and also banned her from standing for office for five years, which would scupper her ambition of taking part in the 2027 vote -- unless overturned on appeal.
But a Paris court said Monday her appeal would be heard from January 13 to February 12, 2026, well before the election -- potentially resurrecting her presidential hopes.
Cheered by her MPs, Le Pen urged Macron to call snap legislative elections, saying holding the polls is "not an option but an obligation".Francois Bayrou Emmanuel Macron France PM

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