French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou and his centrist minority government have been ousted. Bayrou lost a confidence vote he himself had called for. France will now see its fifth prime minister in less than two years. French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou reacts after the result of a vote on a motion of no-confidence against the French government at the National Assembly in Paris, France, Jan. 16, 2025. Benoit Tessier | Reuters
French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou and his centrist minority government were ousted in a confidence vote in France’s National Assembly on Monday.
Bayrou was widely expected to lose the motion — that he had called himself — after failing to win support from political rivals on both the right and left for 2026 budget plans aimed at reducing the country’s yawning budget deficit.
Losing the confidence vote means President Emmanuel Macron will now have to appoint a replacement who will be France’s fifth prime minister in less than two years. Macron is seen as likely to choose another centrist ally to lead a minority government.