French President Under Fire as Opposition Parties Unite Against Government’s £38bn Austerity Plan
Emmanuel Macron has defied mounting calls to resign ahead of a crucial confidence vote on 8 September that could bring down his sixth Prime Minister and plunge France deeper into political chaos.
The French President faces his gravest political crisis yet as opposition parties from across the spectrum unite to vote against Prime Minister François Bayrou’s minority government, with the far-right National Rally and left-wing parties vowing to topple the administration over its controversial austerity measures.
Mr Bayrou, who only succeeded Michel Barnier in December last year after the previous government collapsed following a no-confidence vote, has gambled his political career on forcing through £38billion (€44billion) in spending cuts and tax increases to tackle France’s ballooning deficit.
Prime Minister François Bayrou said he would request the confidence vote in a bitterly divided parliament on September 8, as he tries to garner enough support for his plan to slash spending. The proposed measures include scrapping two public holidays and freezing spending increases, sparking fury from MPs and voters across France.
National Rally leader Jordan Bardella has called for President Macron to dissolve parliament or resign, declaring it the “only solution” to France’s political deadlock. “Il n’y a qu’une seule possibilité pour sortir de cette impasse politique dans laquelle nous sommes, c’est d’en revenir aux urnes”, Bardella said on TF1, demanding either a new dissolution or the president’s resignation.
Sébastien Chenu, National Rally’s deputy leader, dismissed any possibility of dialogue with the government. “Too late. Mr Prime Minister, you have missed many opportunities to construct a budget that benefits the French people. The page has been turned. Dialogue is in the past,” he declared.
The hard-left France Unbowed leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon has gone further, announcing plans to launch impeachment proceedings against Macron on 23 September. Il y a un an, nous déposions une motion pour demander la destitution” d’Emmanuel Macron et “je vous informe que nous allons recommencer le 23 septembre”, Mélenchon told France Inter, simply adding: “He must go.
Meanwhile, the left-wing French Unbowed party has vowed to skip upcoming talks with the government, whilst the Greens have reportedly decided to boycott negotiations entirely, further isolating Bayrou’s administration.
Despite the mounting pressure, Macron remained defiant during a press conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Toulon on Friday. “The mandate entrusted to me by the French people… will be exercised until its term expires,” the President insisted, ruling out any possibility of resignation.
In a boost to his embattled Prime Minister, Macron suggested that Bayrou was not facing “an insurmountable challenge” and called on political players to find “ways to agree” on the proposed budget. Drawing inspiration from Germany, where conservative and socialist parties have formed a coalition government, Macron argued: “On the other side of the Rhine, it appears that a conservative party and a socialist party are managing to work together.
Bayrou has proposed scrapping two public holidays and freezing welfare spending and tax brackets in 2026 at 2025 levels, not adjusting them for inflation. The Prime Minister specifically named Easter Monday and 8 May – which commemorates the defeat of Nazi Germany – as potential holidays to be eliminated, though he indicated these proposals could be modified.
The cuts involve reducing the number of civil service workers and a “solidarity contribution” for “the wealthiest” as well as the abolition of tax breaks for business expenses for pensioners. The government argues these measures are essential to bring France’s deficit, which hit 5.8% of GDP in 2024, back within the EU’s 3% limit.
The confidence vote comes just two days before planned nationwide protests on 10 September, dubbed “Bloquons tout” (“Let’s block everything”), which have drawn comparisons to the Yellow Vest movement that rocked France in 2018. The September 10 call for general protests has drawn comparisons to the Yellow Vest protests that erupted in 2018 over fuel price hikes and the high cost of living.
If Bayrou loses the vote, as opposition parties have pledged, he will be forced to resign along with his entire government, leaving Macron to search for a seventh Prime Minister. Right-wing Defence Minister Sébastien Lecornu and former socialist Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve have been touted as potential contenders.
The political crisis has taken its toll on both leaders’ popularity. Macron’s approval rating has fallen to 19%, with Bayrou at just 18%, making a combined approval of 37% – the lowest in modern France, according to a new IFOP survey published on Monday. Macron’s current disapproval rating stands at -42 per cent, whilst Bayrou’s sits at -37 per cent.
The crisis has significant implications for France’s political future. Macron is constitutionally barred from seeking a third consecutive term in 2027, and opinion polls suggest the National Rally could capitalise on the current turmoil. Between 35 per cent and 36 per cent of French voters would support Bardella in the first round, should he replace Le Pen in 2027.
Financial markets have already reacted nervously to the political uncertainty. France’s blue chip CAC40 index was down nearly 2% in early trade on Tuesday, having fallen 1.6% late on Monday.
Finance Minister Eric Lombard has warned of the gravity of the situation, acknowledging that International Monetary Fund intervention could become necessary if France fails to get its finances in order. “This is a risk that is in front of us,” he admitted, adding: “It is a risk that we would like to avoid, and one which we should avoid, but I cannot tell you that this risk does not exist.”
Political analyst Julien Hoez believes Bayrou’s defeat is “almost certain”, explaining: “Despite Bayrou saying that all austerity measures were negotiable, the reality is that the opposition parties don’t trust him.”
As France braces for yet another political showdown, the country faces the prospect of prolonged instability at a time of high debt, economic strain and security challenges. With government collapse appearing increasingly likely, France’s political paralysis shows no signs of ending.
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