PM Bayrou to Resign After Confidence Vote Defeat, Macron Under Pressure

French Prime Minister François Bayrou is expected to resign today, with the Elysée palace saying Macron “takes note” and will appoint a new prime minister in the coming days. Bayrou lost a confidence vote on Monday, ending his government after just nine months and intensifying Macron’s political woes. A centrist ally of the president, Bayrou had sought backing for a EUR 44 billion package of tax hikes and spending cuts, but the motion was rejected 364–194 as opposition parties united against his minority government. In a defiant speech before the vote, he warned, “You have the power to topple the government, but you don’t have the power to erase reality,” stressing that France’s debt issue remains unresolved. His removal is only the third time since 1958 that a French prime minister has been toppled by parliament, underscoring the fallout from Macron’s failed snap election last year, which produced a hung assembly with emboldened far-right and left blocs.