"The centrist president, Emmanuel Macron, is then likely to face the challenge of appointing his third prime minister in a year, and the fifth since he began his second term in office in 2022. As head of state with authority on foreign policy and national security, the president directly appoints a prime minister to run domestic affairs. But after Macron called a snap parliamentary election last year, the national assembly has been divided into three blocs left, centre and far right with no absolute majority, creating a form of political deadlock and disagreement on the budget."
"Bayrou shocked even his centrist allies by calling the surprise confidence vote, saying he needed backing from parliament for austerity measures to reduce the public debt. A long-term Macron ally, Bayrou was struggling to get support for his unpopular plan for a 44bn (38bn) budget squeeze and austerity programme to reduce France's public debt. His budget proposals, including scrapping two public holidays and freezing most welfare spending, were contested across the political spectrum."
Francois Bayrou is expected to be ousted in a confidence vote on Monday afternoon, plunging the eurozone's second-largest economy into political crisis. Opposition parties from the left to the far right will vote against the 74-year-old centrist, causing his minority government to fall after nine months. President Emmanuel Macron may have to appoint a third prime minister in a year and the fifth since 2022, or call a snap parliamentary election. The national assembly remains divided into left, centre and far-right blocs with no absolute majority, creating deadlock over the budget. Bayrou called the surprise confidence vote to seek parliamentary backing for austerity measures to reduce public debt.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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