Macron Hunts for New PM After Bayrou Ousted

Zim Now Writer

French President Emmanuel Macron is once again in search of a prime minister after parliament toppled François Bayrou’s nine-month-old government in a dramatic confidence vote on Monday night.

It marks the fifth time in under two years that Macron has been forced to reshuffle his leadership team.

Bayrou, a veteran centrist politician, handed in his resignation to the president on Tuesday, though he and his cabinet will remain in a caretaker role until a successor is appointed.

Macron is under pressure to move quickly, with speculation swirling around Defence Minister Sébastien Lecornu and other figures from across the political spectrum, including potential technocrats.

The challenge facing the next prime minister is daunting: passing a deeply contested 2026 budget in a fragmented parliament. France is grappling with a ballooning deficit, nearly twice the European Union’s 3% threshold, and a public debt load equivalent to 114% of GDP. Economists and EU partners alike are demanding urgent fiscal discipline.

But political divisions run deep. Far-right National Rally leader Jordan Bardella emerged as the public’s favourite choice for the job in a new RTL poll, with 43% support.

Party heavyweight Marine Le Pen and conservative Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau followed close behind, each backed by 36% of respondents. The RN is pushing Macron to either resign or call fresh elections, a demand echoed by many voters.

On the left, Socialist Party chief Olivier Faure declared it was “our turn to claim power,” as rival blocs jockey to capitalise on Macron’s weakened standing.