ISLAMABAD: France’s National Assembly is set to topple Prime Minister François Bayrou after only nine months in office, in what analysts describe as a severe blow to President Emmanuel Macron’s authority, according to reports in the international media.
Bayrou is expected to lose a looming confidence vote, with both Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally and the left-wing New Popular Front lining up against his minority government. The revolt has been sharpened by his proposed €44 billion austerity budget aimed at reducing debt, which lawmakers across the spectrum denounced as politically untenable.
If confirmed, Bayrou’s ouster would mark the second consecutive removal of a prime minister by no-confidence vote, following Michel Barnier’s defeat in December 2024. That sequence underscores the instability Macron has faced since failing to secure a working majority in the 2024 elections, leaving the lower house fragmented and deeply polarised.
The crisis comes at a moment of acute strain: unemployment remains stubbornly high, national debt is climbing, and growth has stalled. Protests and union-backed strikes are already being mobilised in response to both the austerity plans and the broader political paralysis. Macron, meanwhile, confronts the difficult task of naming a successor, with possible options ranging from the Socialist Party to conservative figures, each posing further risks to his legislative agenda.
As reported by RFI, AP News, the Financial Times, the Washington Post, and The Times, the turmoil has shaken confidence not only in Macron’s leadership but also in France’s ability to project stability. The Times noted that the political crisis has “crushed France’s joie de vivre,” a phrase long associated with the nation’s spirit of optimism and cultural vitality.
