French Government Collapses After Prime Minister Bayrou Loses No-Confidence Vote by 364 Votes

Paris – The French government, led by Prime Minister Francois Bayrou, collapsed on September 8, 2025, after losing a no-confidence vote in the National Assembly. The decisive defeat, with 364 votes against the government compared to 194 in favor, plunges France into renewed political uncertainty. The vote was triggered by Bayrou's proposed austerity budget, aimed at tackling the nation's substantial fiscal deficit. As reported by Visegrád 24 on social media, the news broke with the simple statement: > "BREAKING: The French government just fell 🇫🇷"

Prime Minister Bayrou, who had been in office for only nine months, called the confidence vote in an attempt to rally support for his budget, which proposed cutting $52 billion. The plan included freezing welfare spending and eliminating two public holidays, measures widely opposed by both far-left and far-right parties. This marks the fifth prime minister France has seen in less than two years, underscoring a period of significant political instability since President Emmanuel Macron's centrist coalition lost its parliamentary majority in 2024.

The collapse places considerable pressure on President Emmanuel Macron, whose approval ratings have reportedly fallen to 15 percent. He now faces difficult choices, including appointing a new prime minister or potentially calling snap parliamentary elections. Public opinion polls indicate widespread dissatisfaction, with a significant majority of French citizens expressing a desire for new elections. The current fragmented National Assembly, split between three major blocs, makes forming a stable governing coalition exceptionally challenging.

Economically, the immediate catalyst for the government's fall is France's ballooning national debt, which stands at 114 percent of its total economic output, and a budget deficit of nearly $198 billion, or 5.8 percent of GDP. Bayrou had warned of an "existential" threat if these fiscal issues were not addressed. The rejection of his budget signals continued hurdles in implementing necessary reforms, potentially impacting France's credit rating and exacerbating social unrest, with further demonstrations and strikes anticipated.