Government of Bayrou Falls: Where Does France Go From Here?

On the 8th, the government led by French Prime Minister Bayrou failed to pass a vote of confidence in the National Assembly. Bayrou will submit the government's resignation to President Macron on the 9th.

As a result, Bayrou will become the sixth prime minister to step down during President Macron's term, which is uncommon in the history of the French Fifth Republic and once again plunges France into political "uncertainty."

Why did Bayrou proactively request a vote of confidence? What led to the fall of his government? What impact will this have on France?

Why Proactively Request the Vote?

In the vote of confidence held in the National Assembly on the afternoon of the 8th, Bayrou's government received only 194 votes in favor, with 364 votes against, resulting in a failed attempt.

Bayrou's proactive request for a vote of confidence was a "last resort" taken under extremely difficult governing conditions. In July, the Bayrou government released France's 2026 fiscal budget draft, originally scheduled for review and vote in the National Assembly on October 14. However, the draft budget faced criticism from opposition parties, and with the ruling coalition not holding a majority of seats, it was unlikely to gain support from more than half of the legislators. Additionally, opposition parties announced plans to initiate a vote of no confidence against the government on September 23 and supported large-scale protests targeting the Bayrou government. The Bayrou government faced the risk of impeachment.

Against this backdrop, Bayrou announced in late August that, to extricate the government from its困境, he requested a vote of confidence in the National Assembly on September 8 for the government he leads. The aim was to secure a "minimum consensus" in the National Assembly and make a final effort to advance the passage of the budget draft.