by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Europe Bureau Chief
PARIS/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – French President Emmanuel Macron is seeking his fifth prime minister in less than two years after opposition parties united to oust center-right Prime Minister François Bayrou over his unpopular plans for massive budget tightening.
The National Assembly voted 364 to 194 to remove the 74-year-old Bayrou from office, forcing the resignation of his government under Article 50 of the constitution. Crowds in several cities cheered the announcement.
Just before the vote, Bayrou pleaded with deputies not to topple his cabinet. He defended his austerity program — 44 billion euros (about $51 billion) in spending cuts — as essential to stabilize public finances and prevent greater instability.
Bayrou insisted his government had projected “an image of the Republic that is honourable and active.”
He also warned against what he called “violent rhetoric” dominating French politics, adding: “If we can, through our attitude, try to move away from this image of violence and contempt, we would be doing a service to the democracy we defend.”
The debate was tense. The radical-right, Eurosceptic National Rally repeated its call for early parliamentary elections.
Its leader, Marine Le Pen, accused both the center-right Republicans and the center-left Socialists of decades of fiscal mismanagement. “Leaders of both the right and the left you are guilty,” she said.
You cannot cry in front of the cameras about the consequences of misdeeds you have committed yourself. It is indeed a curious way, of waiving the debts for which you are accountable, the deficits for which you are responsible, the general collapse for which you are guilty, in order to seek the confidence of parliament.”
President Emmanuel Macron must now appoint a new prime minister amid political turmoil and widespread social unrest, with more mass protests expected this week.
Copyright 1999-2025 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
Latest News from Worthy News
After hours of tense negotiations, European Union leaders agreed to provide Ukraine with a 90 billion euro loan (about $100 billion) to meet the wartorn nation’s urgent financial needs. However, they failed to reach a consensus on whether the loan should be secured using Russia’s frozen assets held in Europe.
Several people were detained for trying to interrupt a pro-Israel demonstration at Dam Square in Amsterdam attended by around 2,000 people, police and organizers said.
Five Iranian Christians have been sentenced to a combined 55 years in prison amid a broader crackdown on devout Christian believers in Iran, a strict Islamic nation, sources told Worthy News Thursday.
Egyptian Christians facing religious-based violence and discrimination are increasingly relying on underground safe houses as authorities continue to fall short on protecting minority rights, Christian advocates say.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced plans Tuesday to overhaul the U.S. military’s Chaplain Corps, arguing the institution has drifted from its original mission and lost the “faith and virtue” that defined it when it was established under George Washington more than 250 years ago.
The United States has approved $11.1 billion in new arms-sales packages for Taiwan, signaling continued security support for the island even as President Donald Trump’s administration emphasizes trade and economic engagement with China, The Wall Street Journal reported.
The U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation late Wednesday night that would criminalize gender transition treatments for minors, marking a significant victory for conservatives who argue the federal government must step in to protect children from irreversible medical procedures.