France is sliding deeper into turmoil as the nation’s debt crisis triggers yet another government collapse. As anticipated, French Prime Minister François Bayrou lost his no-confidence vote Monday, a 194-364 defeat that made him the fourth head of government to fall in under two years.
This marks the second collapse under President Emmanuel Macron in just 12 months, the first time since 1953 that a French leader has endured such chaos. Bayrou’s plan to cut €44 billion in spending and scrap two public holidays failed to convince either the left or right, leaving France’s staggering debt—already over 116% of GDP—unaddressed. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) projects that debt could surge past 128% by 2030.
“The biggest risk was not to take one, to let things continue without anything changing,” Bayrou warned parliament before his ouster. He called France’s fiscal burden “life-threatening.”
The fallout could be dire. Patrick Martin, head of France’s largest business federation, warned instability could spark a “freezing of investments, loss of confidence, increased risk of bankruptcies, and job destruction.”
Meanwhile, National Rally(RN) leader Marine Le Pen has seized the moment, declaring that snap elections are “not an option but an obligation.” Polls already show her party gaining strength, while 64% of French voters want Macron himself gone.
In an address before the vote, Bayrou warned MPs they could “overthrow the government, but not “erase reality.”
“Reality will remain relentless: expenses will continue to rise, and the burden of debt, already unbearable, will grow heavier and more costly,” he said.
