France was rattled on Monday when Prime Minister Francois Bayrou's government was defeated after a mere nine months in office, pushing President Emmanuel Macron to seek a replacement and placing the country into new political unrest.
Bayrou surprised even his supporters by opening a confidence vote in an attempt to break the deadlock over his austerity budget, which contained virtually €44 billion ($52 billion) of cuts in public spending designed to confront France's soaring debt.
In a first for contemporary France, Bayrou was the lone premier to be ousted by a failed confidence motion instead of a classic no-confidence vote. He is to submit his resignation on Tuesday morning (September 9, 2025), a source close to him said.
The National Assembly handed down a devastating decision: 364 members rejected the government, and only 194 stood with it. "In accordance with Article 50 of the constitution, the Prime Minister shall present the resignation of his government," said parliamentary speaker Yael Braun-Pivet.
Bayrou's dismissal is the sixth Macron premiership since 2017—and fifth since 2022—entrenching domestic turmoil at a time Macron is leading international diplomatic efforts regarding the conflict in Ukraine.
Justifying his audacious action, Bayrou asserted to parliament, "The greatest risk was not to take one, to leave things on a course where nothing would change. and business as usual.
He cautioned that France's debt crisis represented a "life-threatening" challenge, maintaining that his government's program provided the means by which the country could "in a few years' time break free from the inexorable tide of debt that is engulfing it." In a final, unsuccessful appeal to legislators, Bayrou reminded them: "You have the authority to bring down the government, but not to abolish reality."
A daunting choice for Macron
The president must now make a decisive decision: appoint a seventh prime minister who is able to broker a deal with parliament, or schedule early elections in the hope of remaking the legislature.
However, new elections hold no promise of cementing Macron's centrist majority. The Socialist Party has been willing to form a new government, but questions remain over whether it can provide stability.
A few of Macron's loyal right-wing ministers, such as Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin, might be in the running, though they risk being refused by the left.
At the same time, Macron's popularity has never been lower. A poll conducted by Odoxa-Backbone for Le Figaro revealed that 64% of the citizens would rather see him resign than name another prime minister—an option he has ruled out. By constitutional law, Macron is not allowed to run for a third term in 2027.
Some 77% of his countrymen disapprove of the way he is governing, according to an Ifop poll for Ouest-France—the lowest approval rating of his presidency.
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