France’s Macron seeks new prime minister after government’s collapse

September 9, 2025 2:15 PM

France’s Macron seeks new prime minister after government’s collapse

French President Emmanuel Macron is seeking his fifth prime minister in less than two years after opposition parties united to kick out centre-right Prime Minister Francois Bayrou over his unpopular plans for budget tightening. Bayrou, handed a 364-194 defeat in a parliamentary confidence vote on Monday, will officially hand in his resignation to Macron during Tuesday. Whoever Macron picks to succeed him will face the near impossible task of uniting parliament and finding ways to get a budget ...

Stalemate or surrender: France’s Macron is left with no good options

September 9, 2025 10:08 AM

Stalemate or surrender: France’s Macron is left with no good options

The challenge French President Emmanuel Macron faces in choosing his fifth prime minister in under two years lays bare the depth of a political crisis that in many ways is of his own making, and one with no clear path out. Francois Bayrou is set to tender his resignation as prime minister on Tuesday, a day after parliament voted to bring down the government over its plans for taming the budget deficit. Bayrou's predecessor, Michel Barnier, had suffered the same fate over his fiscal plans only ...

French lawmakers brace for more turmoil as no-confidence vote looms

December 4, 2024 10:58 AM

French lawmakers brace for more turmoil as no-confidence vote looms

French lawmakers will vote on Wednesday on no-confidence motions which are all but certain to oust the fragile coalition of Prime Minister Michel Barnier, deepening the political crisis in the euro zone's second-largest economy. Barring a last-minute surprise, Barnier's will be the first French government to be forced out by a no-confidence vote in more than 60 years, at a time when the country is struggling to tame a massive budget deficit. The debate is due to start at 4 p.m. (1500 GMT), wit...