Fall of the Minority Government of Prime Minister François Bayrou, Who Failed to Gain a Vote of Confidence in France (2025)

A minority government formed under the leadership of French Prime Minister François Bayrou failed to secure sufficient support in a vote of confidence held in the National Assembly on 8 September 2025 and was constitutionally dismissed. This development has been recorded as the fifth government crisis during President Emmanuel Macron’s second term.

François Bayrou was appointed Prime Minister by President Emmanuel Macron on 3 July 2025. As leader of the center-right MoDem (Democratic Movement) party, Bayrou took on the task of forming a minority government following the political crises that engulfed France in the summer of 2025. The government was established on a fragile foundation after Macron’s party Renaissance and its supporting groups lost their absolute majority in parliament.

The minority government aimed to survive with limited external support from both center-right and center-left factions in addition to centrist parties. However, the balance of power in the National Assembly, dominated by the strong positions of the radical left New Popular Front (Nouveau Front Populaire) and the far-right National Rally (Rassemblement National), rendered the government’s future uncertain.

In accordance with the constitutional calendar, François Bayrou’s government requested a vote of confidence in the National Assembly on 8 September 2025. The vote took place amid sharp criticisms from opposition parties regarding the government’s policies on the economy migration and social affairs.

In the 577-seat National Assembly, the number of votes in favor of the government fell short of the absolute majority required for confidence. Both the left and right opposition blocs voted against the government. The government’s defeat was met with applause and reciprocal chants in the assembly.

Following the loss of the confidence vote, Prime Minister Bayrou submitted his resignation to President Macron. An official statement from the Élysée Palace announced that consultations would begin in accordance with the constitutional timeline to appoint a new prime minister. Macron is assessed to have three constitutional options:

1. Appointing a new prime minister in an attempt to form another minority government,
2. Dissolving the National Assembly and calling for early general elections,
3. Initiating a search for a new majority by forming a broad-based consensus government.

With the resignation of Prime Minister François Bayrou, the executive branch continues to perform its duties on a temporary basis. President Macron is required under constitutional authority to announce a new prime ministerial candidate no later than a few weeks from now.

Political analyses indicate that the confidence vote crisis has dealt a significant blow to Macron’s political agenda, particularly raising the likelihood that planned reforms on retirement and migration policies will be delayed. In French public opinion, the government crisis has reopened debate over Macron’s leadership style the sustainability of centrist politics and the future of parliamentary balance.

Following the collapse of François Bayrou’s government in a vote of confidence, French President Emmanuel Macron appointed Sébastien Lecornu, who was serving as Minister of Defense, as Prime Minister on 10 September. The Élysée Palace stated that Macron had tasked Lecornu with consulting all political forces represented in parliament to secure adoption of a new budget for the country and to build the necessary agreements for decisions to be made in the coming period.

^{French President Macron appoints Sébastien Lecornu as new Prime Minister — (Anadolu Agency)}

Lecornu, born in 1986 in the Val-d’Oise region, began his political career at the age of 19 as an assistant to a member of parliament. At 27, he was elected mayor of Vernon and has held various positions in Macron’s governments since 2017. In 2017 he became Secretary of State, in 2018 Minister for Territorial Cohesion, in 2020 Minister for Overseas Territories, and in 2022 Minister of Defense. Lecornu is the seventh person appointed as Prime Minister during Macron’s presidency.

According to the presidential statement, Lecornu’s actions will be carried out within the framework of principles including the defense of independence and national strength, service to the French people, and the guarantee of political and institutional stability for the unity of the country.

The Élysée Palace further stated that the new Prime Minister’s primary priority is to consult with political forces in parliament to secure approval of the 2026 budget.

As of 2025, France’s public debt has reached 3.3 trillion euros, equivalent to 114 percent of the country’s GDP. The Bayrou government proposed budget cuts to reduce this burden, but the plan failed. Lecornu’s key responsibility is to develop a solution to the growing debt crisis and to pass the new budget through parliament.

The Socialist Party criticized Macron’s appointment of Lecornu, arguing that this choice would deepen the crisis and instability. Marine Tondelier, leader of the Greens Party, labeled the appointment a “provocation.” Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of France Unbowed, described the move as “more of the same” and called for early elections. Jordan Bardella, leader of the National Rally, stated that Macron would not deviate from his own course and indicated that his party would evaluate Lecornu’s actions according to its own political lines.