French PM Bayrou Toppled in No-Confidence Motion

(MENAFN) France’s political leadership plunged into fresh crisis Monday as Prime Minister Francois Bayrou was ousted following a resounding defeat in a confidence vote in the National Assembly, marking the second dismissal of a Macron-appointed prime minister in less than a year.

The no-confidence motion, which required 288 votes to succeed, passed with a sweeping 364 votes after the New Popular Front, a left-wing alliance, and the far-right National Rally joined forces to topple Bayrou’s fragile centrist government. The vote ends months of deadlock over Bayrou’s controversial austerity-driven budget proposal.

Bayrou had voluntarily triggered the vote—his ninth—seeking political backing for sweeping fiscal reforms, including plans to slash nearly €44 billion ($52 billion) from public spending in an effort to stabilize the nation’s ballooning debt.

After earlier warning that the country's debt posed a mortal danger, the embattled prime minister issued a sharp rebuke to his opponents on the eve of the vote, accusing them of uniting solely to topple the government despite their mutual animosity.

Bayrou’s fall comes less than a year after Michel Barnier was forced out of office in December after just three months, making Bayrou the sixth prime minister to serve under President Emmanuel Macron since 2017.

Now facing a critical political fork in the road, Macron must either install a Socialist leader to push the budget through Parliament—effectively surrendering control of domestic policy—or dissolve the Assembly and call early elections. Current polling suggests a snap vote could hand power to Marine Le Pen’s surging National Rally, further complicating Macron’s already precarious political standing.

With approval ratings at historic lows, Macron’s presidency risks further unraveling. A weekend Le Figaro survey revealed nearly 80% of French citizens no longer trust him, while mass protests erupted across Paris, where demonstrators held signs reading “Let’s stop Macron” and “Frexit.”

Analysts caution that investor sentiment may soon follow public disillusionment. Should markets begin to doubt France’s ability to curb its deficit, the nation could spiral into financial instability on par with the UK’s tumultuous period under Liz Truss.

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