France in fresh political crisis after MPs oust prime minister

Paris, Sep 9,2025: Nearly nine months after the toppling of his predecessor Michel Barnier, France has again plunged into a new political crisis following the defeat of Prime Minister François Bayrou at a confidence vote in the National Assembly on Monday.
Bayrou’s fate was sealed after he unveiled his plan for a confidence vote late last month, when leaders from the far-left France Unbowed, far-right National Rally and centre-left Socialist Party all announced they would vote to bring down the government.
The defeat – by 364 votes to 194 – means that Bayrou will on Tuesday present his government’s resignation to President Emmanuel Macron, who must now decide how to replace him.
Macron’s office said this would happen “in the coming days”, reports BBC.
The options before Macron include naming a new prime minister from the centre-right; pivoting to the left and finding a name compatible with the Socialist Party and dissolving parliament so new elections are held.
France is thus on its way to getting a fifth prime minister in less than two years. Before Bayrou, previous prime minister Michel Barnier was toppled in December last year.
Bayrou’s fall came after he supported his government on an emergency confidence debate on the question of French debt.
There was no sign that Bayrou’s warnings have had any impact on parliament or on France as a whole.
Deputies from the left and hard-right accused him of trying to mask his own and Macron’s responsibility in bringing France to its current state.
He warned of the “existential” threat to France if it did not start to tackle its €3.4 trillion liability.
In a budget for 2026 he proposed to scrap two national holidays and freeze welfare payments and pensions, with the aim of saving €44 billion.
Party after party made quite clear they saw Monday’s vote as an opportunity to settle accounts with Bayrou – and through him Macron.
In absence of any majority in the National Assembly, Bayrou saw the left and hard-right uniting against him – and his fate was sealed.
In his speech beforehand, Bayrou made clear that he had his eyes set more on history rather than politics, telling MPs that it was future generations who would suffer if France lost its financial independence.
“Submission to debt is the same as submission to arms,” he said, warning that current debt levels meant “plunging young people into slavery”.
“You may have the power to bring down the government. But you cannot efface reality,” he said.
Bayrou’s warnings have had a significant impact on parliament or on France as a whole, with deputies from the left and hard-right accusing him of trying to cover his own and Macron’s responsibility in bringing France to its current state.
While, the polls showed that few regard debt control as a national priority, as opposed to the cost of living, security and immigration.
A movement calling itself Bloquons Tout (Let’s Block Everything) has promised a wave of sit-ins, boycotts and protests against Macron’s policies from this Wednesday.
The need for financial restraint comes as Macron promises extra funds for defence, and as opposition parties demand the repeal of the latest pension reform that raised the retirement age to 64.
Bayrou took over from Michel Barnier last December after Barnier failed to get his budget through the Assembly.
There are speculations that Macron would turn now to a left-wing prime minister, having failed with the conservative Barnier and the centrist Bayrou.
However the Socialist Party says it wants a total break from Macron’s pro-business policies as well as a repeal of the pension reform.
It therefore seems likely Macron will look initially to another figure from within his own camp, with Defence Minister Sébastien Lecornu, Labour Minister Catherine Vautrin and Finance Minister Éric Lombard all said to be in the running.
Among the probable candidates, Lecornu is widely expected to become the next PM.
The 39-year-old politician is the only minister to have remained in government since President Macron was first elected in 2017, outlasting countless reshuffles and a snap election.
Over the past seven years, Lecornu has established his credentials as a loyal Macron ally, honing a political style that chimes well that of the president — in particular his engagement with local-level politics.
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