France Prime Minister Francois Bayrou is all set to submit his resignation to President Emmanuel Macron after his government was toppled in a confidence vote on Monday, raising a new crisis for Europe's second-largest economy.
Macron appointed Bayrou in December last year, choosing a key figure in his centrist political alliance. When assuming power, his candidacy sparked resistance from both the left and the right. Left-wing politicians were wary of his alignment with Macron’s policies, while the right had criticized Bayrou due to his strained relationship with former president Nicolas Sarkozy.
How did France get here?
Politics has become increasingly fraught in France since Macron bet big by calling a snap parliamentary election in 2024, which resulted in a deeply fragmented parliament.
France's ever rising debt lead to weakening of Macron's control over parliament. This happened because of his largesse during the COVID and cost-of-living crises. One of the largest economies of Europe is now under acute pressure to fix its finances. Public debt has climbed to 113.9% of GDP. Last year's deficit was nearly double the EU's 3% limit.
Bayrou sought to pass a budget for 2026 that would require 44 billion euros ($51.64 billion) in savings, which provoked an outcry from opponents. Unable to see a path to adoption, Bayrou called a confidence vote on his fiscal strategy, in a gamble the opposition called political suicide.
While making a last-ditch effort to save his job before vote, Bayrou said, "All political parties that are not part of the government have announced their decision to overthrow this government, a relatively minor feat, since this government has no majority, no absolute majority, and no relative majority. A government whose irrevocable fall was predicted from the very first minute of its existence."
Political Background of François Bayrou
President of the European Democratic Party (EDP), François Bayrou is the president of the French member party Mouvement Démocrate, or MoDem. He was first appointed from 2004 to 2019 as co-chair of the EDP with Francesco Rutelli.
A pillar of the French political landscape, he was appointed High Commissioner for Planning in September 2020 by Macron. Before that, Bayrou renounced his candidacy for the 2017 French presidential election, committing himself to Macron under the nascent movement En Marche!
Being a political multi-tasker, Bayrou is the mayor of Pau and president of the Pau Béarn Pyrénées agglomeration community. He was first elected to both positions in 2014, winning re-election in 2022.
President of the MoDem since 2007, he has previously held elective office at the European and national levels. He was a member of the European Parliament from 1999 to 2002 and a member of the French National Assembly from 2002 to 2012, from 1997 to 1999 and from 1986 to 1993.
He was a candidate for the French presidency in 2007, where he obtained 18.57% of the vote in the first round. Prior to that, he was President of the Union for French Democracy (UDF) from 1998 to 2007 and Minister of National Education from 1993 to 1997.
François Bayrou's life before politics
Bayrou is the author of several books. His publications include Abus de pouvoir published in 2009, État d’urgence released in 2012 and Résolution française published in 2017.
Born on May 25, 1951 in Bordères, in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques and raised by a family of small farmers, Mayrou had a modest daily life enriched by books. He was raised in a strict and open-minded educational household, where he inherited a civic spirit, a sense of solidarity and a genuine curiosity for politics.
He obtained his baccalaureate at the Lycée de Nay and continued his higher studies at the University of Bordeaux.
(With inputs from European Democratic Party)
Macron appointed Bayrou in December last year, choosing a key figure in his centrist political alliance. When assuming power, his candidacy sparked resistance from both the left and the right. Left-wing politicians were wary of his alignment with Macron’s policies, while the right had criticized Bayrou due to his strained relationship with former president Nicolas Sarkozy.
How did France get here?
Politics has become increasingly fraught in France since Macron bet big by calling a snap parliamentary election in 2024, which resulted in a deeply fragmented parliament.
France's ever rising debt lead to weakening of Macron's control over parliament. This happened because of his largesse during the COVID and cost-of-living crises. One of the largest economies of Europe is now under acute pressure to fix its finances. Public debt has climbed to 113.9% of GDP. Last year's deficit was nearly double the EU's 3% limit.
Bayrou sought to pass a budget for 2026 that would require 44 billion euros ($51.64 billion) in savings, which provoked an outcry from opponents. Unable to see a path to adoption, Bayrou called a confidence vote on his fiscal strategy, in a gamble the opposition called political suicide.
While making a last-ditch effort to save his job before vote, Bayrou said, "All political parties that are not part of the government have announced their decision to overthrow this government, a relatively minor feat, since this government has no majority, no absolute majority, and no relative majority. A government whose irrevocable fall was predicted from the very first minute of its existence."
Political Background of François Bayrou
President of the European Democratic Party (EDP), François Bayrou is the president of the French member party Mouvement Démocrate, or MoDem. He was first appointed from 2004 to 2019 as co-chair of the EDP with Francesco Rutelli.
A pillar of the French political landscape, he was appointed High Commissioner for Planning in September 2020 by Macron. Before that, Bayrou renounced his candidacy for the 2017 French presidential election, committing himself to Macron under the nascent movement En Marche!
Being a political multi-tasker, Bayrou is the mayor of Pau and president of the Pau Béarn Pyrénées agglomeration community. He was first elected to both positions in 2014, winning re-election in 2022.
President of the MoDem since 2007, he has previously held elective office at the European and national levels. He was a member of the European Parliament from 1999 to 2002 and a member of the French National Assembly from 2002 to 2012, from 1997 to 1999 and from 1986 to 1993.
He was a candidate for the French presidency in 2007, where he obtained 18.57% of the vote in the first round. Prior to that, he was President of the Union for French Democracy (UDF) from 1998 to 2007 and Minister of National Education from 1993 to 1997.
François Bayrou's life before politics
Bayrou is the author of several books. His publications include Abus de pouvoir published in 2009, État d’urgence released in 2012 and Résolution française published in 2017.
Born on May 25, 1951 in Bordères, in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques and raised by a family of small farmers, Mayrou had a modest daily life enriched by books. He was raised in a strict and open-minded educational household, where he inherited a civic spirit, a sense of solidarity and a genuine curiosity for politics.
He obtained his baccalaureate at the Lycée de Nay and continued his higher studies at the University of Bordeaux.
(With inputs from European Democratic Party)
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