Friend and foe alike called it political suicide when French Prime Minister François Bayrou announced he wanted to hold a confidence vote to gain support for his nearly 44 billion euros in austerity measures. After the vote in the Assemblée Nationale, the French House of Representatives, the suicide scenario became a reality: members of parliament clearly no longer had confidence in Bayrou.

The Bayrou government fell with 364 votes against. Only 194 MPs voted in favor, while 15 abstained."The Prime Minister must submit the government's resignation to the President of the Republic," declared National Assembly Speaker Yaël Braun-Pivet immediately after the results.

Bayrou warned of huge debt burden

Before the vote, the former prime minister gave a speech in which he reiterated France's"excessive debt burden." "Our life expectancy is at risk," he continued."France hasn't had a balanced budget for 51 years," Bayrou said, also citing an"incredible series of setbacks since 2020," such as Covid, the war in Ukraine, the energy crisis, inflation, and various other financial threats.

The caretaker Prime Minister denounced the"addiction" to debt and warned that young people are bearing the brunt of the debt burden. According to Bayrou, the new generations"will bear the weight of the trillions of debts their elders have incurred and which they will have to bear for twenty or thirty years, or even longer."

It was to no avail; the prime minister was no longer able to implement his nearly €44 billion austerity plan. But, he warned MPs:"You don't have the power to erase reality [...] Spending will continue to rise and the debt burden will become increasingly heavy."

Macron must look for a replacement again

François Bayrou will submit his resignation to President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday morning, September 9th, who will then have to find a replacement. This is no easy task, as parliament is divided into three power blocs, each with a different vision for the future of the country. Moreover, Macron must deal with mass protests against the government's austerity plans, while a 2026 budget must be approved in October.

The appointment of a new prime minister will take at least several days. Emmanuel Macron typically takes his time with these matters. During that period, the government would remain in office to manage current affairs. François Bayrou expressed his willingness to work some extra hours on RTL Friday morning."There is never a government interruption in France. So yes, I will do my job to the best of my ability and knowledge to keep things going, and I will be there to help my country," he declared.

The far-left party La France Insoumise and the radical right party Rassemblement National are pushing for new parliamentary elections, but Macron will not be responding to them anytime soon. The head of state will likely prefer a"lightning rod" to prevent himself from finding himself on the front lines during the announced protests, which are currently scheduled for September 10 and 18.