The National Assembly votes to bring down government led by PM Francois Bayou over its plans to cut about $52bn to reduce the country’s debt.
France’s Prime Minister Francois Bayrou has lost a confidence vote in Parliament, hours after warning that the country was facing “life-threatening” debt, deepening a political crisis and handing President Emmanuel Macron the task of finding a fifth prime minister in less than two years.
Bayrou, who has been in office for nine months, will tender his resignation on Tuesday, his office said. Macron’s office said a new appointment will be made “in the coming days”.
The National Assembly voted on Monday to bring down the Bayrou-led government over its plans to cut about 44 billion euros ($52bn) to reduce the country’s debt. Bayrou had staked his leadership on securing parliamentary approval for a budget plan that aimed to slash a deficit almost double the EU’s three percent ceiling and a debt load worth 114 percent of GDP.
Bayrou is the sixth prime minister under President Macron since the head of state was first elected in 2017. Bayrou’s ousting would leave the French leader with a new domestic headache at a time when he is leading diplomatic efforts on the Ukraine war.
