France plunged into new crisis after MPs vote to oust prime minister Hugh Schofield Paris Correspondent France has been plunged into a new political crisis with the defeat of Prime Minister Francois Bayrou at a confidence vote in the National Assembly.
Lacking any majority in the National Assembly, Bayrou saw the left and hard-right uniting against him – and his fate was sealed.
Some have speculated that Macron would turn now to a leftwing prime minister, having failed with the conservative Barnier and the centrist Bayrou.
Bayrou must now resign, says Assembly president Paul Kirby Europe digital editor As Assembly President Yaël Braun-Pivet announced the result of Bayrou’s defeat, MPs applauded loudly and the outgoing prime minister sat stony-faced.
Two such figures are the former prime minister Bernard Cazeneuve, and the veteran ex-minister Pierre Moscovici, currently head of the Cour des Comptes (the official accounting office).
Following a vote by MPs to remove the prime minister, France entered a new crisis.
Schofield, Hugh.
correspondent in Paris.
Prime Minister Francois Bayrou’s loss in a confidence vote in the National Assembly has thrown France into a new political crisis.
By a vote of 364 to 194, Bayrou will be presenting his government’s resignation to President Macron tomorrow, who will then have to determine how to replace him. “In the coming days,” according to Macron’s office, this will take place.
Thus, France is headed for its fifth prime minister in less than two years, a miserable record that highlights the disarray and disillusionment that have characterized President Macron’s second term.
When Bayrou bet his government on an emergency confidence debate centered on the issue of French debt, he suffered his downfall.
In speeches, interviews, and social media posts, he warned throughout the summer that France would face “existential” consequences if it did not begin to address its 3–4 trillion euro debt.
However, any hope that his predictions of financial ruin would influence opponents was swiftly dashed. Bayrou’s fate was sealed when he saw the hard-right and left band together against him because he lacked a majority in the National Assembly.
Some have conjectured that after failing with the centrist Bayrou and the conservative Barnier, Macron would now look for a left-wing prime minister. But according to the PS, Macron’s pro-business policies need to end completely.
With Finance Minister Eric Lombard, Labour Minister Catherine Vautrin, and Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu reportedly in the running, it appears likely that Macron will first turn to someone from his own party.
Our live coverage of this story is coming to an end, but you can continue reading Hugh Schofield’s most recent report.
Pressure from the opposition on Macron increases.
Paul Kirby. .
Europe digital editor.
According to Mathilde Panot of the radical-left France Unbowed party, or LFI, Bayrou “wanted a moment of truth, and I reckon he’s got it.”.
Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the head of LFI, believes that President Emmanuel Macron should now be the center of attention.
Macron has stated that appointing a new prime minister will be his next step, but the fervent LFI leader feels that Macron is now facing the people directly. He must leave as well.
Macron will not go, and he will not listen to Mélenchon, for sure.
Socialists and Greens, two other left-wing parties, think it’s their time to govern. The Greens’ Marine Tondelier has urged Macron to consult with left-leaning leaders before selecting the next prime minister.
The far-right National Rally, led by Marine Le Pen, is ahead in the polls, but he thinks he should hold parliamentary elections instead.
She claims that dissolving parliament is an institutional tool to end the impasse and allow democracy to continue, not a “whim.”.
What does this mean for Emmanuel Macron?
Laura Gozzi.
Europe’s reporter.
Despite being predicted, today’s vote result puts Emmanuel Macron under even more pressure.
Because of his decision to hold a snap election in June 2024, which left the parliament hung, many believe he is to blame for the current impasse.
Parliamentarians in the Assemblée Nationale played out this political crisis, but now the president will once more be in the spotlight as he must select a new leader for a vulnerable government coalition that has no assurance of surviving the upcoming challenges.
In a “matter of days,” Macron will unveil his nominee, according to the Elysée palace.
We may also anticipate that Macron will soon give a televised speech to the French, if past significant events in French politics are any indication.
Democratic Party, we need to find common ground.
The French prime minister’s removal has prompted a brief statement from Marc Fesneau, the leader of Bayrou’s party, the Democratic Movement.
The French “do not want a debate,” he adds, adding that “we have to find the ways and means to solve the problems.”. They want us to work for them. We must figure out how to reach an agreement and find points of agreement.
“Without the extremes,” he says, he hopes the Democratic Movement party can create something.
People who want to sabotage economic activity and cause chaos are preventing the nation from emerging from its current economic crisis. In front of a sizable press pool, Fesneau declares, “That is not our stance; we are for responsibility and truth.”.
The president of the Assembly says Bayrou must now step aside.
Paul Kirby. .
Digital editor for Europe.
MPs cheered loudly as Assembly President Yaël Braun-Pivet announced the outcome of Bayrou’s defeat, while the departing prime minister sat stony-faced.
“The prime minister must submit the resignation of the government to the president of the republic in accordance with the constitution,” she stated, adding that “the National Assembly has not approved [the PM’s] general policy statement.”.
After Bayrou left parliament, TV cameras mounted on motorcycles drove him the short distance to the prime minister’s home in Paris, the Hôtel Matignon.
Similar to Bayrou’s journey across Paris to the Élysée Palace, where he will deliver his resignation to Emmanuel Macron, this scene is well-known in French politics.
In his closing remarks to members of parliament prior to the vote, Bayrou emphasized that his nine months as prime minister had been a time of “profound happiness” because his government had operated with great friendship and solidarity without “a single crisis and a single tension” in spite of everything.
The defeat of Bayrou was inevitable.
Paul Kirby.
Digital editor for Europe.
For weeks, it was evident that Bayrou was going to lose. According to Assembly President Yaël Braun-Pivet, today’s vote was merely a formality.
With contributions from all of the parliamentary political leaders, Bayrou’s speeches at the beginning and conclusion of the National Assembly debate felt like a funeral procession for his minority government.
National Rally leader Marine Le Pen even referred to the “end of the agony of a phantom government,” but the Greens said it would have been nearly satisfying if not for the uncertainty of what would happen next.
The fall of his predecessor, Michel Barnier, last December put France back where it was, and this is the real political crisis at the core of Bayrou’s defeat after nine months of relative calm.
Two times, Bayrou referred to the unrest in France as “tohu-bohu” in French. Even though he lost, the massive debt mountain he pointed out and attempted to address still exists. Additionally, President Emmanuel Macron must find a way to move on.
For the upcoming elections, Le Pen’s far right is waiting in wings.
Paul Kirby. .
Digital editor for Europe.
France is at a standstill primarily because none of the three major parliamentary groups have been able to secure a majority in the National Assembly. However, according to recent opinion polls, Marine Le Pen’s National Rally and her supporters currently hold a 33 percent vote advantage.
When Bayrou loses the vote of confidence this evening, Macron will have the option to call parliamentary elections, which is obviously what she would gain the most from.
Le Pen has plans to run for president as well. With the upcoming presidential election in 2027, Le Pen will have her best chance to win the office yet. She has already run for president three times, losing twice to Emmanuel Macron.
Only if she can reverse or lessen an embezzlement conviction that prevents her and her party colleagues from running for public office for five years.
Earlier today, a court in Paris announced that Le Pen’s appeal would begin on January 13 and last for approximately five weeks, with a verdict coming a few months later. This news gave Le Pen more hope that she would run. In the event that she is successful in lifting the ban, Le Pen may run for president a fourth time and lose.
As she calls for new elections, Le Pen is greeted with roaring applause.
Laura Gozzi.
Europe’s reporter.
Marine Le Pen has taken the stand as a combative individual.
“The end of the agony of a phantom government” is what the leader of the far-right National Rally (RN) claims today. She holds both left- and right-wing politicians “responsible” for the “collapse” of the nation, to roaring cheers from her supporters.
She calls for the French to be called to the polls once more and criticizes the opposing political forces that united at the last election as part of a calculated voting strategy to keep her party out of power.
Le Pen continues by saying that even if Macron decides to name a prime minister once more, the new administration probably won’t be able to approve a budget.
If the president decides not to dissolve parliament, Le Pen accuses him of “blocking” the nation, saying, “That choice would mark the institutional stagnation of the country.”.
As she concludes, “Change cannot wait any longer,” her MPs applaud her.
The riders and runners who might take Bayrou’s place.
Schofield (Hugh).
Paris-based reporter.
There will be significant pressure on President Macron to appoint a left-leaning prime minister if Bayrou is ousted. After all, a left alliance won the majority of votes in the 2024 election, and the final two nominees (Barnier and Bayrou) were from the right and center.
Olivier Faure would be one option as leader of the Socialist Party (PS). The National Assembly has 66 deputies under the 57-year-old.
He is a modest, moderate man who was born half Vietnamese and has been involved in socialist politics all of his life. The party’s tense relationship with far-left firebrand Jean-Luc Mélenchon is his biggest weakness.
Macron may therefore choose a figure who has a broad affiliation with the Socialists but is not necessarily one of their members. Former Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve and seasoned former Minister Pierre Moscovici, who is currently in charge of the official accounting office, the Cour des Comptes, are two examples of such individuals.
Despite being a banker by profession, current Finance Minister Eric Lombard is renowned for his social-liberal views, making him another intriguing option.
Sebastien Lecornu would likely be Macron’s first pick if he chooses to remain centrist and right.
Prior to François Bayrou’s nomination last December, the 39-year-old was in the running. He is said to be close to President Macron, who has given him the task of building up French military capabilities.
Lecornu was a political conservative who belonged to both the Republicans (LR) and the Gaullist UMP party. When Macron was first elected president in 2017, he departed to join his party.
The current health and labor minister, Catherine Vautrin, is another conservative whose name has been brought up.
Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin and Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, who currently heads LR, are two additional potential candidates from within the government.
With all eyes on the 2027 presidential election, however, would these powerful individuals want Macron’s next prime minister to be the electoral kiss-of-death?
