Paris, September 9, 2025
François Bayrou fell with more noise than applause: just nine months after taking office, he lost the confidence vote on his austerity budget and resigned. He is the second head of government toppled by Parliament in less than a year: Michel Barnier, his predecessor, had survived only three months.
The timing could not be worse. On Wednesday, France faces a general strike, nationwide protests, and a movement darkly nicknamed “Block Everything!”. Roads, schools, universities, toll booths and fuel depots are all targeted. Police expect at least 100,000 demonstrators.
Macron’s opponents, from Marine Le Pen to Jean-Luc Mélenchon, smell blood. The far right demands parliamentary elections; the radical left goes further, calling for the president’s resignation.
In his farewell speech, Bayrou warned against the “British model” of taxing the rich: “They will leave,” he said. He convinced no one: 194 votes in favour, 364 against. It was the heaviest defeat for a French prime minister since 1958.
Macron is now looking for a replacement within his centrist camp, despite lacking a parliamentary majority. Names being floated include Catherine Vautrin, Gérald Darmanin, Xavier Bertrand, Sébastien Lecornu and Thierry Breton. But whoever accepts the job inherits a deficit of 5.8% of GDP, €43.8 billion in cuts and tax hikes, and the looming threat of a credit rating downgrade for France.
The Élysée insists on continuity. The streets, however, are preparing barricades.
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