Francois Bayrou ousted as French PM after losing confidence vote

"Francois Bayrou has been ousted in a confidence vote after only nine months as prime minister, collapsing his minority government and plunging France into a political crisis. Bayrou, 74, will hand his resignation to Emmanuel Macron, his longterm centrist ally, on Tuesday morning. The French president now faces the challenge of appointing his third prime minister in only one year, and the fifth since he began his second term of office in 2022. His office said he would make the decision in the coming days."

"Bayrou was toppled when 364 deputies voted that they had no confidence in the government. Just 194 gave him their confidence. Bayrou had called the vote himself as a last-ditch gamble for support, saying he needed backing from parliament for austerity measures to reduce the public debt. In a speech to parliament before the vote, Bayrou had said France was under threat from its inexorable swamp of debt and must find a compromise on a budget."

"When the leaders of opposition party groups, from the left to the far right, made fiercely critical speeches against him, he said: I won't respond to insults and warned that the image of verbal violence and contempt among politicians was damaging democracy. Marine Le Pen of the far-right National Rally's parliamentary group told MPs that Bayrou's departure was the end of the agony of a phantom government."

Francois Bayrou was removed after a confidence vote, ending his nine-month tenure and collapsing his minority government. Bayrou will resign to President Emmanuel Macron, who must appoint a new prime minister amid repeated leadership changes since 2022. Parliament voted 364 against and 194 for confidence. Bayrou had called the vote seeking parliamentary backing for austerity to reduce public debt and warned that fiscal crisis required budget compromise. He cautioned that lack of consensus would doom government action and decried verbal violence among politicians. Opposition leaders, including Marine Le Pen, demanded a parliamentary election and criticized the government's legitimacy. Le Pen has appealed her conviction and faces an appeal trial in January.

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