Paris: French Prime Minister François Bayrou has been forced to resign after losing a parliamentary confidence vote, deepening the country’s political instability and leaving President Emmanuel Macron searching for a fifth head of government in less than two years.
Bayrou, 74, who has held the post for nine months, announced that he will tender his resignation on Tuesday. His office confirmed the decision shortly after lawmakers overwhelmingly rejected his minority government, with 364 deputies voting no confidence against 194 who supported him. Macron’s office said a new prime minister will be appointed in the coming days.
Bayrou, a longtime centrist ally of Macron, had staked his political survival on securing parliamentary backing for a controversial €44 billion austerity plan aimed at tackling France’s debt. In a tense address to the National Assembly, he urged deputies to compromise on the budget, warning that without consensus, government action will be destined to fail.
But his gamble backfired as opposition leaders from the left to the far right lined up to condemn both his policies and his leadership. “He wanted his hour of truth; he got it,” said Mathilde Panot of La France Insoumise. Socialist MP Boris Vallaud branded Macron as a defeated president and accused him of enriching the wealthy at the expense of the poor.
Marine Le Pen, leader of the National Rally’s parliamentary group, declared Bayrou’s exit as the end of the agony of a phantom government. Le Pen urged Macron to dissolve parliament and call fresh elections.
EN DIRECT | Déclaration de politique générale du Premier ministre, François Bayrou, à l’Assemblée nationale. https://t.co/arjH8hI6vc
— Gouvernement (@gouvernementFR) September 8, 2025
Macron, however, has resisted demands for another snap vote after last year’s early election produced a fragmented assembly split between the left, the centre, and the far right. Polls suggest a new election would likely result in another hung parliament.
The president, whose term runs until 2027, retains sweeping authority over foreign policy and security but has struggled to maintain control of domestic politics since losing his absolute majority in 2022. Bayrou’s fall marks the second prime minister to be ousted since last year’s election, following Michel Barnier’s brief three-month tenure.
Bayrou had become one of the most unpopular premiers in modern French history, battered by public anger over his austerity plans, including a proposal to scrap two public holidays and his handling of a historic abuse scandal at a Catholic school near his home in south-west France. His dismissive remarks about a parliamentary inquiry into the scandal cost him support even within his own centrist ranks.
Macron now faces the urgent task of appointing a new leader capable of breaking the deadlock and steering a budget for 2026 through the divided assembly.
Meanwhile, fresh unrest looms. A protest movement called “Block Everything” has called for nationwide disruptions on Wednesday, threatening road closures, school walkouts, and business shutdowns. Public sector unions are also preparing strike action.
