French parliament ousts prime minister, deepening political crisis

French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou on Monday lost a confidence vote in the French National Assembly over his budget plan seeking to save billions of euros per year in government spending.

According to the results, only 194 were in favor of Bayrou out of 558 valid votes. This marks the first time in the history of the Fifth Republic that a government has fallen during a vote of confidence, local media reported.

Speaking to the deputies ahead of the vote, Bayrou stressed that France's excessive debt was "life-threatening" for the country.

According to official figures, France's public debt stood at 3,345.8 billion euros (about $3,914.6 billion), or 114 percent of its GDP, at the end of the first quarter of 2025.

"Reality will remain inexorable, spending will continue to rise, and the burden of debt, already unbearable, will grow heavier and more costly," Bayrou said, urging the country to "act without delay."

In a speech before the vote, Marine Le Pen, former presidential candidate of France's far-right wing party National Rally, called on President Emmanuel Macron to dissolve the National Assembly to hold new elections following Bayrou's defeat.

Reactions

Following the confidence vote result, several parties voiced support for Bayrou's leaving. Mathilde Panot, president of the hard-left party La France Insoumise (LFI), welcomed the outcome. "Mr Bayrou wanted a moment of truth," she said. "He got it."

LFI's national coordinator Manuel Bompard said, "The fall of this government is a relief for all those who would have borne the full brunt of the dramatic consequences of the Bayrou budget. Today, the popular mobilization on September 10 and the unwavering determination of La France Insoumise have already achieved a first victory."

Laurent Wauquiez, president of the right-wing party The Republicans (LR), voted in favor of the confidence motion while allowing "freedom of vote" for his party's elected representatives.

Olivier Faure, first secretary of the Socialist Party, emphasized the need to "restore energy and give purchasing power back to the French." 

"I want a government of the left and the ecologists, and it will then be up to Parliament to decide," he stated.

What's next?

In a press release, the Elysee said that Macron "acknowledged" the result of the vote. According to the release, Macron will meet with Bayrou tomorrow to accept the resignation of his government, and will nominate a new prime minister in the coming days.

The French president could now nominate a politician from his own centrist minority ruling group or from the ranks of conservatives as the next premier, but that would mean doubling down on a strategy that has failed to yield a stable alliance.

He also could tack to the left and nominate a moderate socialist, or choose a technocrat.

No scenario would be likely to hand the next government a parliamentary majority. It was inevitable that the need to form a new government would result in a dilution of the deficit reduction plan, Finance Minister Eric Lombard said before the vote.

The next government's most pressing task will be to pass a budget, the same challenge Bayrou faced when he took office nine months ago. Securing the backing of a very divided parliament will be equally hard.

Macron nominated Bayrou as France's new prime minister on December 13, 2024, succeeding Michel Barnier, who had been ousted in a no-confidence vote a week earlier.

The political turmoil in France has reverberated across Europe. On Monday evening, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told the media that he "hoped" a solution to France's political crisis would be found "as soon as possible," voicing concern over its potential repercussions for the rest of the continent.

(With input from agencies)