French premier loses confidence vote in parliament

By Ilayda Cakirtekin

ISTANBUL (AA) - France's Prime Minister Francois Bayrou lost a confidence vote in the parliament on Monday, National Assembly President Yael Braun-Pivet announced.

Receiving 194 votes in support and 364 votes against, Bayrou failed to obtain a majority in the parliament, where 15 of the 589 deputies abstained.

He is expected to submit his government's resignation to President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday, according to broadcaster BFM TV.

Bayrou has now become the only prime minister under the Fifth Republic since 1958 to be brought down by a confidence vote.

The outgoing premier, who unveiled a 2026 budget framework in July, was seeking support for a plan to save nearly €44 billion ($51 billion) as part of efforts to reduce France’s soaring public debt, now at 113% of its GDP.

France also has one of the EU's largest budget deficits at 5.8%.

Warning that the country is “on the brink of over-indebtedness,” Bayrou earlier urged lawmakers to choose “responsibility over chaos.”

Opposition parties across the spectrum, from the far-left LFI to the far-right National Rally (RN), as well as the Socialists, had vowed to vote against the government.

Budget negotiations have been a major source of tension in French politics.

The failure to reach an agreement on the 2025 budget last year led to the collapse of the Michel Barnier government in December, after left-wing and far-right parties united behind a no-confidence motion.