Debt crisis: French government collapses after PM Bayrou Ousted in Confidence Vote.
France’s Prime Minister François Bayrou has been removed from office after losing a parliamentary confidence vote over his controversial austerity budget, leaving President Emmanuel Macron in search of a replacement.
Bayrou, who had served for nine months, linked his government’s survival to approval of a €44bn ($52bn) spending cut plan aimed at curbing France’s record debt, nearly twice the EU deficit limit.
Ahead of the vote, he warned lawmakers: “You have the power to bring down the government, but you do not have the power to erase reality. Reality will remain relentless: expenses will continue to rise, and the burden of debt, already unbearable, will grow heavier and more costly.”
The National Assembly, however, rejected his proposal by 364 to 194 votes. According to Al Jazeera’s Natacha Butler, “For Bayrou, this is a crushing defeat,” noting that both left and far-right lawmakers condemned the cuts as unjust, while even some conservatives abandoned him.
At 74, Bayrou is now the sixth prime minister under Macron since 2017, and the second within a year to fall to a confidence vote after Michel Barnier. His ouster deepens Macron’s challenges amid domestic unrest and ongoing international negotiations over Ukraine.
Opposition figures quickly reacted. Jean-Luc Mélenchon declared: “Macron is now on the front line facing the people. He too must go.” Marine Le Pen called it “the end of the agony of a phantom government” and demanded fresh elections.
Analysts argue Macron’s path forward is narrow. Hugo Drochon of the University of Nottingham observed: “Either he goes again for somebody from the centre-right party … or he reaches out to the socialists,” but either way, major concessions will be unavoidable.
Meanwhile, unions are gearing up for strikes and protests, piling on the pressure. As Butler concluded: “He’s not got many good choices. In fact, most of his choices are bad ones.”
Debt crisis: French government collapses after PM Bayrou Ousted in Confidence Vote.
France’s Prime Minister François Bayrou has been removed from office after losing a parliamentary confidence vote over his controversial austerity budget, leaving President Emmanuel Macron in search of a replacement.
Bayrou, who had served for nine months, linked his government’s survival to approval of a €44bn ($52bn) spending cut plan aimed at curbing France’s record debt, nearly twice the EU deficit limit.
Ahead of the vote, he warned lawmakers: “You have the power to bring down the government, but you do not have the power to erase reality. Reality will remain relentless: expenses will continue to rise, and the burden of debt, already unbearable, will grow heavier and more costly.”
The National Assembly, however, rejected his proposal by 364 to 194 votes. According to Al Jazeera’s Natacha Butler, “For Bayrou, this is a crushing defeat,” noting that both left and far-right lawmakers condemned the cuts as unjust, while even some conservatives abandoned him.
At 74, Bayrou is now the sixth prime minister under Macron since 2017, and the second within a year to fall to a confidence vote after Michel Barnier. His ouster deepens Macron’s challenges amid domestic unrest and ongoing international negotiations over Ukraine.
Opposition figures quickly reacted. Jean-Luc Mélenchon declared: “Macron is now on the front line facing the people. He too must go.” Marine Le Pen called it “the end of the agony of a phantom government” and demanded fresh elections.
Analysts argue Macron’s path forward is narrow. Hugo Drochon of the University of Nottingham observed: “Either he goes again for somebody from the centre-right party … or he reaches out to the socialists,” but either way, major concessions will be unavoidable.
Meanwhile, unions are gearing up for strikes and protests, piling on the pressure. As Butler concluded: “He’s not got many good choices. In fact, most of his choices are bad ones.”
