French PM Francois Bayrou resign after losing confidence vote

France plunged deeper into political turmoil on Monday after parliament voted to topple Prime Minister Franois Bayrou’s government over its contentious plans to curb soaring national debt. The move forces President Emmanuel Macron to begin the search for his fifth prime minister in less than two years.

Bayrou, 74, who had been in office for just nine months, will submit his resignation on Tuesday morning, the prime minister’s office said.

Bayrou himself had triggered the confidence vote in a bid to secure backing for his strategy to cut the deficit, which has ballooned to nearly twice the European Union’s 3 per cent ceiling. France’s debt pile now stands



at around 114 per cent of GDP.

According to news agency Reuters, the prime minister pitched savings of 44 billion euros ($51.5 billion) in next year’s budget as essential to restore fiscal credibility. But opposition parties, with one eye on the 2027 presidential race, were unwilling to back him.

"You have the power to bring down the government, but you do not have the power to erase reality," Bayrou warned lawmakers before the vote. "Reality will remain relentless: expenses will continue to rise, and the burden of debt, already unbearable, will grow heavier and more costly."

Despite his appeal, lawmakers overwhelmingly rejected his plan.