Hyderabad: France’s political scene was shaken on Monday as Prime Minister François Bayrou quit after losing a no-confidence vote. The French PM Bayrou resignation comes just nine months after he took office, plunging President Emmanuel Macron into a search for a replacement.
Bayrou gambled on a confidence vote to end deadlock over his €44 billion budget cut plan, aimed at lowering national debt. Instead, lawmakers voted 364 to 194 against his government, forcing him to step down.
Macron faces fresh challenge
Under Article 50 of the Constitution, Bayrou must resign on Tuesday. He is Macron’s sixth prime minister since 2017 and the fifth since 2022—a sign of deep instability.
The resignation is a blow to Macron’s presidency. While he leads diplomacy on Ukraine, at home he faces a fractured Assembly and hostile opposition. The failed austerity push exposes France’s difficulty in balancing reform with social demands.
A turning point in French politics
Bayrou defended his decision, saying avoiding a confidence test would have left politics unchanged. But critics called his budget cuts too severe.
The French PM Bayrou resignation leaves Macron in urgent need of a successor who can calm domestic tensions. The opposition, emboldened by the vote, is preparing to block further reforms. For France, it signals months of political turbulence.
