The government of France has collapsed, with the country’s prime minister set to resign after losing the support of the country’s legislature. As the country deals with financial crises that have seen multiple ruling coalitions fall apart in the last few years, this latest political turnover places pressure on the country’s president to sort things out and leaves France’s political future even less certain.
France loses its fourth prime minister in less than two years
French Prime Minister François Bayrou offered his resignation to President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday, a day after Bayrou lost a vote of no-confidence in the country’s legislature. French lawmakers voted 364-194 against Bayrou, effectively firing the prime minister. Macron has announced that he will appoint a new prime minister “in the coming days.” The search commences after four others have held the prime minister role in the past 20 months, demonstrating the political turmoil that has faced the government of Macron during his final term in office.
Economic struggles are at the heart of the French political crisis
The political rejection of Bayrou is largely rooted in France’s struggling economy and disagreements about how to fix it. France has operated under a large budget deficit for years, partially because of its extensive social welfare spending. The country’s public debt stands at €3,345 billion, over 100% of the country’s annual GDP; among the 20 countries that use the euro as their sole currency, only Greece and Italy have worse debt to GDP ratios. The problem appears to be getting worse for France, as its aging population means a smaller percentage of French citizens are paying taxes while a larger percentage are using social services. Bayrou’s solutions — such as cutting pensions and other benefits and canceling some public holidays — have been unpopular, leading to opposition from both the left and the right.
Divided political landscape leaves challenges for Macron
The collapse of the government highlights the political turmoil facing Macron, who is set to leave office in 2027 due to term limits. Macron has, in recent year,s been occupied with trying to influence international crises such as the wars in Gaza and Ukraine. He has also struggled to govern France as its legislature remains divided into left, centrist and right factions. Macron, a centrist, may appoint another centrist or a leftist as the next prime minister, but someone from either faction will likely face limited support, as was the case for Bayrou. Meanwhile, the far right has gained influence in France with the popularity of the right-wing National Front party. The National Front’s leader, Marine Le Pen, finished second to Macron in the last two presidential elections. Though she is banned from running for public office for the next five years due to being convicted of embezzlement, Le Pen continues to lead her party and promote its right-wing agenda; for example, Le Pen has blamed immigrants for France’s financial crisis.
As Macron serves out the last portion of his final term as president, he continues to face very challenging political and economic circumstances. And now, he is yet again faced with the prospect of dealing with France’s problems with a new prime minister; whoever is chosen for the job will have their work cut out for them as they navigate the economic constraints and political divisions that have caused French politics to grind to a halt.
