PARIS, Sept 9 (Bernama-Xinhua) — French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou on Monday lost a confidence vote in the National Assembly over his budget proposal seeking to save billions of euros annually in government spending, reported Xinhua.
According to results announced by National Assembly Speaker Yael Braun-Pivet, only 194 of the 558 valid votes supported Bayrou.
Local media reported that this is the first time in the history of the Fifth Republic that a government has fallen in a confidence vote.
Addressing deputies on Monday afternoon before the vote, Bayrou warned that France’s excessive debt posed a “life-threatening” risk to the country.
According to official figures, France’s public debt stood at 3,345.8 billion euros (about US$3,914.6 billion), or 114 per cent of its GDP, at the end of the first quarter of 2025.
“Reality will remain inexorable, spending will continue to rise, and the burden of debt, already unbearable, will grow heavier and more costly,” Bayrou said, urging the country to “act without delay.”
“It only requires the mobilisation and moderate efforts from everyone, provided we act in time,” he stressed.
In a speech before the vote, Marine Le Pen, former presidential candidate of France’s far-right wing party National Rally, called on President Emmanuel Macron to dissolve the National Assembly to hold new elections following Bayrou’s defeat.
After the confidence vote, several parties expressed support for Bayrou’s departure.
Mathilde Panot, head of the hard-left La France Insoumise (LFI) deputies, welcomed the result, saying: “Mr. Bayrou wanted a moment of truth. He got it.”
LFI national coordinator Manuel Bompard stated: “The fall of this government is a relief for all those who would have suffered the harsh consequences of Bayrou’s budget. Today, the popular mobilisation on September 10 and the unwavering determination of La France Insoumise have already secured a first victory.”
Laurent Wauquiez, president of the deputies of the right-wing party The Republicans (LR), voted in favour of the confidence motion while allowing “freedom of vote” for his party’s elected representatives.
Olivier Faure, first secretary of the Socialist Party, emphasised the need to “restore energy and give purchasing power back to the French.” “I want a government of the left and the ecologists, and it will then be up to Parliament to decide.”
In a press release, the Elysee said that Macron “acknowledged” the result of the vote.
“He will meet with Prime Minister Francois Bayrou tomorrow to accept the resignation of his government,” the Elysee said.
Macron will nominate a new prime minister in the coming days, it added.
The political turmoil in France has reverberated across Europe. On Monday evening, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told the media that he “hoped” a solution to France’s political crisis would be found “as soon as possible,” voicing concern over its potential repercussions for the rest of the continent.
Macron nominated Francois Bayrou as France’s new prime minister on Dec. 13, 2024, succeeding Michel Barnier, who had been ousted in a no-confidence vote a week earlier.
Bayrou was the fourth French prime minister nominated in 2024 by Macron. He was born in 1952 and founded the centrist party Democratic Movement (MoDem) in 2007. He ran as a presidential candidate three times, in 2002, 2007, and 2012. (1 € = US$1.17)
–BERNAMA-XINHUA
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