France seeks new prime minister after ouster

French President Emmanuel Macron began looking for a new prime minister after a confidence vote forced former Prime Minister François Bayrou to formally resign on Tuesday. Legislators voted 364-194 on Monday to oust Bayrou, according to the National Assembly’s website. Macron intended to name a replacement in a few days, according to his office. Bayrou’s successor will be France’s fourth prime minister in about a year.

Bayrou called the confidence vote after months of legislative gridlock over his proposed budget cuts. His plan cut government jobs, nixed several public holidays, and froze welfare. He attempted to rein in France’s national debt, which reached 114% of its gross domestic product, according to the Associated Press. In his final speech, he reiterated his position that France should not continue to increase its national debt, according to a translation of an autogenerated transcript. 

How is the opposition reacting to the resignation? Marine Le Pen, former leader of the conservative, opposition National Rally party, on Friday said France had two options. The next prime minister must propose a budget everyone supports, or Macron must dissolve the National Assembly—starting a new cycle of legislative elections. If Macron is forced to dissolve the assembly and start again, the National Rally party could possibly win more seats due to dissatisfaction with his leadership, as it did in 2024.

Dig deeper: Read Lauren Canterberry’s report on the court ruling barring Le Pen from running against Macron in the next presidential election.