Prime Minister François Bayrou has been ousted, leaving President Macron scrambling again for a path through France’s economic turmoil.
French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou lost a confidence vote on Sept. 8, deepening a political and economic impasse in the Eurozone’s second-largest economy after opposition leaders from across the political spectrum pledged to oust him.
The minority government’s collapse looks set to deepen France’s problems, leaving President Emmanuel Macron with the task of finding yet another politician to steer a controversial budget through parliament.
The government lost the confidence by 194 votes to 364, according to Le Monde.
Macron’s centrist party, Renaissance, heads a fragile minority coalition that relied on allies like Bayrou’s Democratic Movement (MoDem) to govern.
“You have the power to bring down the government, but you do not have the power to erase reality,” Bayrou told lawmakers before the confidence vote.
“Reality will remain relentless: expenses will continue to rise, and the burden of debt, already unbearable, will grow heavier and more costly.”
France’s “very survival is at stake,” Bayrou added.
On July 15, Bayrou announced drastic measures to the Senate to reduce the public deficit by 43.8 billion euros (nearly $51 billion) in 2026.
Bayrou’s plan involves freezing welfare spending and even scrapping some public holidays.
Bayrou suggested to cut Easter Monday, as it has no “religious significance,” and May 8, Victory in Europe Day (VE Day).
The plan is aimed at reducing France’s debt, projected to soar to above 3 trillion euros (about $3.49 trillion) this year, with public debt hovering at about 110 percent of gross domestic product (GDP).
The European Union advises member states to bring their public debts below 60 percent of GDP, and it advises them not to let budget deficits exceed 3 percent of GDP.
According to official EU estimates from May, France’s government deficit is forecast to decline to 5.6 percent of GDP in 2025, and to edge up to 5.7 percent in 2026.
Marine Le Pen, leader of the right-wing National Rally party, said in a Sept. 8 post on X, “Mr. Bayrou and his friends want to make the French pay by increasing taxes by 20 billion. How dare they still tell the people that the only solution would be to make them pay, pay again, always pay?”
By Owen Evans
