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French President Emmanuel Macron is preparing to appoint his fifth prime minister in less than two years following the collapse of François Bayrou’s government. Bayrou, a centre-right ally of Macron, was removed after losing a confidence vote in parliament on Monday by 364 votes to 194. His unpopular proposals for budget tightening had drawn fierce criticism across the political spectrum, uniting opposition parties against him. Bayrou will officially submit his resignation to Macron on Tuesday.
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The task of naming a successor is a challenging one for Macron, who must find someone capable of building consensus in a deeply fragmented parliament. Defence Minister Sébastien Lecornu is among the leading names being floated, though Macron could also look to the centre-left or appoint a technocratic figure to stabilise his government. There are no formal rules dictating how quickly the president must act, but his office has signalled that a replacement will be announced in the coming days.
Olivier Faure, leader of the Socialist Party, has already declared that the left should now take charge, arguing that the country needs progressive leadership. Meanwhile, the far-right National Rally has renewed demands for Macron to call snap parliamentary or presidential elections, something he has repeatedly rejected.
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The fallout from Bayrou’s ousting has spread beyond parliament, with protesters preparing for fresh demonstrations against Macron’s leadership. Activists have announced nationwide “Let’s Block Everything” rallies for Wednesday, organised largely through social media. The gatherings are expected to be disruptive, though their full scale is difficult to predict due to the lack of central leadership. Protesters have framed the removal of the prime minister as only the beginning of wider resistance, insisting the next step should be to challenge Macron himself.
In several cities, including Clermont-Ferrand, symbolic “farewell drinks” for Bayrou were held on Monday evening in front of city halls. Protesters said these events were part of the build-up to larger actions this week. One demonstrator, Alain Petit, 61, described the confidence vote as a first step, saying: “Now that the change of the prime minister is a done deal, they need to get rid of what’s higher up … that’s a message for Macron.”
Financial markets reacted calmly, with analysts noting Bayrou’s defeat had already been expected. However, attention now turns to the credit ratings agency Fitch, which is due to deliver a new assessment of France’s sovereign rating on Friday. Any downgrade could intensify pressure on Macron as he faces political turmoil and mounting public anger.
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