French government collapses: Prime Minister Bayrou dismissed

France is facing a new political crisis following the collapse of the government after Prime Minister François Bayrou lost a confidence motion in the National Assembly, French media reported.

By a resounding vote of 364 to 194, lawmakers backed the motion to remove Bayrou, marking a milestone in the country's political instability. This result, with a majority of 170 votes, forces President Emmanuel Macron to seek a new prime minister or consider calling early elections. According to French reports, Bayrou will submit his resignation this Tuesday.

The prime minister had called the confidence motion in an attempt to force approval of his austerity budget, designed to address France's growing fiscal deficit. In an impassioned speech to parliamentarians, Bayrou warned, "You can get rid of the government, but you cannot get rid of reality." He further stressed the seriousness of the economic situation, noting that "France has not known a balanced budget in 51 years. Every year, debt accumulates."

With public debt representing 114% of GDP, the former prime minister warned that this burden "risks enslaving our youth" in the eurozone's second-largest economy.

Macron's challenge

The current crisis has roots in the early legislative elections called by Macron last year, after the defeat in the European elections against the party Réunion Nationale of Marine Le Pen. These elections left a fragmented parliament, without a clear majority, which has complicated governance. Macron, who must now appoint his fourth prime minister in just over a year, faces the challenge of forming a functional coalition in a context of deep polarization.

The National Assembly is deadlocked in debates on how to balance public finances. Despite the debt crisis, there is no consensus on budget cuts or pension reforms. Some analysts suggest that Bayrou, 74 years old and a centrist leader, sought with this motion of confidence to build a political legacy that would position him as a candidate for the 2027 presidential elections. In this regard, he justified the motion as a "trial by truth" to back his plan to cut the 2026 budget by almost 44 billion euros ($51 billion) with the aim of reducing the deficit from the 5.4% of GDP projected for this year to 4.6% in 2026.

Harsh criticism of Bayrou

However, his critics were not sparing in their reproaches. Boris Vallaud, Socialist parliamentary leader, accused Bayrou of using the motion as a political maneuver: "He will not turn his defeat into a victory. This is not an act of courage, it is a run away." For her part, Marine Le Pen, leader of National Rally, took advantage of the crisis to blame the traditional parties that have governed France until now: "It is in these moments of crisis that the small and big cowardly pacts, the shameful opportunism, the connivances hidden in the shipwreck of discredited formations are revealed."

Both the extreme left and Le Pen's right wing are demanding early elections and the resignation of Macron, who has so far resisted this option.

With a weakened president and no control of Parliament, France is in a political and economic deadlock. Uncertainty over the next prime minister and the possibility of new early elections keep the country on edge, while political and social tensions continue to rise.