France Faces Political Turmoil: Macron Under Pressure Amid Protests

Wed Oct 22 2025 11:13:38 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

As France grapples with a political crisis following the resignation of Prime Minister François Bayrou, President Emmanuel Macron is under intense pressure to appoint a new leader while nationwide protests threaten to disrupt stability.

French President Emmanuel Macron is poised to appoint a new prime minister after François Bayrou's resignation, sparked by a failed vote of no confidence. With a hung parliament and rising protests against austerity measures, Macron must navigate a complex political landscape. Speculation is rife over potential candidates, while authorities prepare for large-scale protests, highlighting a nation in turmoil.

French President Emmanuel Macron has come under pressure to name a new prime minister quickly after François Bayrou lost a vote of no confidence and on Tuesday handed him his resignation.

The fall of Bayrou's government came as no surprise, as a majority in France's hung parliament staunchly opposed Bayrou's bid to bring down France's spiraling debt with €44bn (£38bn) budget cuts.

But Macron is still faced with one of the highest budget deficits in the eurozone and mounting criticism from political opponents.

France is also facing a day of protests on Wednesday from a nebulous grassroots movement called Bloquons Tout - Let's Block Everything, and authorities are planning to deploy 80,000 police.

As Monday's confidence vote was called by Bayrou himself, Macron had weeks to prepare his next steps. He has already indicated he will choose a new prime minister in the coming days - the fifth since he won a second term as president in 2022.

Whoever he ends up choosing will be in the unenviable position of facing a hung parliament split into three factions deeply at odds with one another. None has a majority, and several are clamoring for fresh elections instead of a new prime minister.

Speculation over potential frontrunners began swirling even before Bayrou's government fell, with names from Assembly speaker Yaël Braun-Pivet to current defense minister Sébastien Lecornu being floated.

However, commentators believe Macron will need support from the left or center-left camp to ensure backing from the Socialists and the centrists, thereby providing the new prime minister a chance of passing a much-needed budget tackling France's debt.

Macron ally and ex-prime minister Gabriel Attal has deplored the state of permanent instability affecting France and urged Macron to find a technocrat negotiator to find common ground before naming a prime minister.

Attal's suggestion was promptly denounced as total nonsense by Marine Le Pen of the far-right National Rally, who is calling for new parliamentary elections.

Nevertheless, Macron has implied that a new vote is off the table, pledging a new prime minister will be named in a matter of days. This reflects an urgent need for France to regain stability as the country faces market jitters, protests, and large-scale industrial action.

Authorities are bracing for nationwide disruption as the Bloquons Tout movement encourages citizens to bring the country to a standstill through protests against austerity, contempt, and humiliation. Although it is uncertain how many will respond, estimates suggest about 100,000 could participate in protests across France.

In parallel, a strike has been scheduled next week to protest the government's brutal budget plans, with trade unions lamenting a profound social and democratic crisis in France.

Amidst this chaos, credit agency Fitch is expected to decide on Friday whether to downgrade France's credit rating, following a rise in public debt to €3.3 trillion, equal to 114% of its GDP.

As Paris law enforcement confronts rising tensions, especially following recent polarized acts against community centers, uncertainty looms for France's immediate political future.