• Since January 2024, Elisabeth Borne, Gabriel Attal, Michel Barnier, and most recently Bayrou, have held office of prime minister

ISTANBUL

France has seen four prime ministers forced out in less than two years, the latest being Francois Bayrou, who lost a confidence vote on Monday over disputed austerity measures.

Since the start of 2024, successive heads of government, Elisabeth Borne, Gabriel Attal, Michel Barnier and most recently Francois Bayrou, have all resigned under pressure.

As the country was facing “life-threatening” debt, deepening a political crisis is putting Macron’s second term under more pressure.

Elisabeth Borne: May 2022 – January 2024

Elisabeth Borne was the first to go in January 2024 after failing to rally support for deeply contested pension reforms.

Seen as Macron’s fallback choice in 2022, she oversaw around 60 laws, including reforms on unemployment insurance, but drew criticism for invoking Article 49.3 23 times, which earned her the label “Madame 49.3.”

Article 49.3 of the French Constitution allows the government to force the passage of a law without a vote unless the parliament passes a motion of no confidence.

Her mandate was defined by the passage of the pension reform in March 2023, pushed through despite widespread protests.

Some 1.089 million protesters took part in demonstrations across France, against Macron’s pension reform, according to the Interior Ministry, with 119,000 marching in Paris alone.

It was the highest since protests against the reform began in January, and approximately 790 people were arrested in Paris.

The immigration bill at the end of 2023, adopted with backing from the far-right National Rally, deepened divisions in the presidential camp and led to Cabinet resignations.

Even her own health minister and former chief of staff, Aurelien Rousseau, resigned in protest.

On Jan. 9, 2024, Macron asked her to step aside.

Publicly, he praised her “exemplary work in the service of the nation.”

Gabriel Attal: January 2024 - July 2024

Macron turned to Gabriel Attal, then 34, making him the youngest prime minister in the country’s history.

His mandate was quickly derailed by snap elections in June-July 2024, which the president had called in a bid to strengthen his grip on the National Assembly.

Instead, the gamble backfired, producing a hung parliament split into three rival blocs: the left-wing New Popular Front, Macron’s centrist alliance, and the far right.

Attal offered to resign after the election stalemate, but Macron initially kept him in office.

On July 16, the president accepted his resignation. Attal stayed on only as caretaker until a successor could be named.

Attal has since taken over as leader of the pro-Macron group in parliament, confirming he would not return to the premiership.

Michel Barnier: September 2024 – December 2024

Seeking stability, Macron turned to veteran statesman Michel Barnier, the former EU Brexit negotiator, who was appointed prime minister on Sept. 5, 2024.

His appointment was seen as a move to reassure markets and allies.

But Barnier’s government collapsed on Dec. 4, 2024, just three months after his appointment, when lawmakers passed a motion of no confidence against him by 331 votes, well above the 288 needed.

He invoked constitutional powers to force through a controversial €60 billion ($70.5 billion) deficit-reduction budget that included sweeping social security reforms.

It was the first time since 1962 that a French prime minister had been ousted in a no-confidence vote.

Following his defeat, Barnier submitted his resignation the next day, rendering the controversial budget obsolete.

Francois Bayrou: December 2024 – September 2025

Macron then picked Francois Bayrou, a centrist veteran and longtime ally, who was appointed prime minister on Dec. 13, 2024.

Bayrou took office promising fiscal responsibility. He unveiled plans to rein in France’s ballooning debt, which had reached 113.9% of GDP, the third-highest in Europe after Greece and Italy.

His proposals included spending cuts and reforms that critics quickly branded austerity.

Facing resistance across the assembly, Bayrou chose to put his government’s survival on the line.

On Sept. 8, 2025, he called a vote of confidence under Article 49.1 of the constitution.

The gamble backfired.

Lawmakers voted 364 against his government and only 194 in favor.

Bayrou became the first prime minister in the history of the Fifth Republic to be ousted by a confidence vote he himself initiated.