Macron to name new French PM ‘in next days,’ after premier ousted by parliament

French President Emmanuel Macron’s office announces that he will name a new prime minister in the next few days, hours after parliament ousted the government of Prime Minister Francois Bayrou after just nine months in office.

Bayrou, who has been in the job since December 2024, had blindsided even his allies by calling a confidence vote to end a lengthy standoff over his austerity budget, which foresees almost 44 billion euros ($52 billion) of cost savings to reduce France’s debt.

Bayrou is the first premier in the history of modern France to be ousted in a confidence vote rather than in a no-confidence vote. He will submit his resignation on Tuesday morning, according to a person close to him who asked not to be named.

In the vote in the National Assembly, 364 deputies voted that they had no confidence in the government, while just 194 gave it their confidence. “In line with article 50 of the constitution, the prime minister must submit the resignation of his government,” said speaker Yael Braun-Pivet.

Bayrou is the sixth prime minister under Macron since his 2017 election, and the fifth since 2022. Bayrou’s ousting leaves the French head of state with a new domestic headache at a time when he is preparing to recognize a State of Palestine at the United Nations, over Israeli and US objections, and is leading diplomatic efforts on the Ukraine war.

Macron “will meet Prime Minister Francois Bayrou tomorrow (Tuesday) to accept the resignation of his government. The president will appoint a new prime minister in the next days,” his office says.

According to a poll by Odoxa-Backbone for Le Figaro newspaper, 64 percent of the French want Macron to resign rather than name a new prime minister, a move he has ruled out. He is forbidden from standing for a third term in 2027.

Around 77% of people do not approve of his work, Macron’s worst-ever such rating, according to an Ifop poll for the Ouest-France daily.