French government collapses after PM Bayrou ousted in confidence vote

France’s Prime Minister Francois Bayrou has lost a confidence vote in Parliament, hours after warning that the country was facing “life-threatening” debt, deepening a political crisis and handing President Emmanuel Macron the task of finding a fifth prime minister in less than two years.

Bayrou, who has been in office for nine months, will tender his resignation on Tuesday, his office said. Macron’s office said a new appointment will be made “in the coming days”.

The National Assembly voted on Monday to bring down the Bayrou-led government over its plans to cut about 44 billion euros ($52bn) to reduce the country’s debt. Bayrou had staked his leadership on securing parliamentary approval for a budget plan that aimed to slash a deficit almost double the EU’s three percent ceiling and a debt load worth 114 percent of GDP.

The 74-year-old leader is the sixth prime minister under President Macron since the head of state was first elected in 2017. His ousting would leave Macron with a new domestic headache at a time when he is leading diplomatic efforts on the Ukraine war.

Before the vote, Bayrou warned lawmakers: “You have the power to bring down the government, but you do not have the power to erase reality. Reality will remain relentless: expenses will continue to rise, and the burden of debt, already unbearable, will grow heavier and more costly.”

But parliament rejected his appeal, with 364 votes against him and only 194 in favour.

Jean-Luc Melenchon, leader of the hard-left France Unbowed, posted on X: “Macron is now on the front line facing the people. He too must go.” The left bloc holds a majority in the 577-seat parliament but not enough to form a government on its own.

Far-right leader Marine Le Pen also called for a snap election: “This moment marks the end of the agony of a phantom government.”

‘Crushing defeat’

“For Bayrou, this is a crushing defeat. Certainly a large majority voted against him and his austerity budget,” said Al Jazeera’s Natacha Butler, reporting from Paris.

She noted that opponents on both the far right and the left denounced the plan as unfair, saying it targeted some of the poorest people in France. Even some conservatives usually close to Bayrou turned against him, making it “an incredibly damning day for the former French prime minister in the National Assembly.”

Butler added that it was “another embarrassing moment” for Macron. “This is his second prime minister that he’s lost in a year since his surprise snap election in 2024,” she explained, recalling that Michel Barnier lasted only three months before being forced out by parliament.

Looking ahead, Butler said Macron faces limited options. “He’s not got many good choices. In fact, most of his choices are bad ones,” she said, warning that the president must now navigate mounting social unrest. France is expected to see strikes and protests from trade unions in the coming weeks, adding further strain on an already embattled government.

Hugo Drochon of the University of Nottingham told Al Jazeera that Macron’s options are narrowing. “Either he goes again for somebody from the centre-right party … or he reaches out to the socialists,” he explained, but warned that would require budget compromises.

Drochon also noted that the stakes extend beyond France’s domestic politics. “The biggest concern, at least from the financial markets, is not so much what’s going to be done, but that something gets done. They want a prime minister and a budget that actually addresses these issues,” he said.

He warned that if Macron fails to act swiftly, France risks deeper political paralysis and growing frustration among an already disillusioned public.

“What I think the French people are expecting is something to happen … can Macron name somebody who can find a way through? That would reassure everybody. That’s the big challenge,” he added.

The next government’s immediate task will be to push through a budget in an increasingly fractured parliament, the same challenge that ultimately sank Bayrou.