Macron’s political crisis worsens as his fifth prime minister is toppled, and now he’s running out of options

French Prime Minister François Bayrou’s minority government was toppled on Monday night, thrusting the country even deeper into a political crisis and forcing President Emmanuel Macron to name his fifth premier in less than two years. This is the second government collapse in under a year, and it all stems from Macron’s risky decision to call snap legislative elections in June 2024.

This is a gamble that backfired and created a deeply fragmented parliament with no single party holding a majority. Now, with no guaranteed way to break the parliamentary deadlock, Macron is running out of good options. The vote of no-confidence came after Bayrou called for the vote himself, a move that surprised even his own allies. He was trying to get support for his unpopular 2026 budget plan, which aimed to cut €44 billion in savings through things like pension and healthcare cuts, as well as removing two public holidays.

According to Politico, the plan was widely rejected by parliamentarians from both the left and the far-right, who united against it. Bayrou, who had only been in office for nine months, said he called the vote because he believed the country was “staggering toward the edge of a cliff” without swift economic reforms. However, his opponents accused him of scaremongering and blamed the instability on Macron’s eight years in power.

The French president is in a bad position

With Bayrou’s government now forced to resign, Macron faces some incredibly hard choices. He could, and most likely will, appoint another prime minister. However, there’s no guarantee that a new premier would be able to escape a similar fate, as they would be working with the same precarious parliamentary math that has led to this political paralysis. The parliament is split into three main blocs: the left, the center, and the far right, but none has a clear majority. This has created a deadlock on everything from economic policy to the most basic task of setting a budget.

Another option is for Macron to call another snap election. While this might seem like a way to get out of the mess, it’s not a very appealing option for him. Polls show that Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally party is leading, and another election could easily deliver another hung parliament, leaving France just as deadlocked as it is now, and unable to fight the US on EU deals.

Some have even suggested that Macron should resign, but that’s a highly unlikely scenario given his past statements. A new prime minister is the most probable outcome, but even that is a difficult prospect. Bayrou’s predecessor, Michel Barnier, was also toppled by a no-confidence vote after just three months in office, making him the shortest-serving premier in the modern French Republic. This whole situation is a massive headache for Macron, and it’s all because of his failed gamble to try to shore up support last year.

The political instability is reminiscent of the Fifth Republic’s founding in 1958, which is certainly not a good sign. Even with France making big moves, like recognizing Palestine, it needs a change of some kind. Without a change in the system or a willingness from the parties to compromise, it looks like things are going to be unstable until the end of his presidential term in 2027.