On government turmoil in France

Monday is a hard day, as no one else has felt, the former Prime Minister of France, who personally scheduled a vote of confidence in the government for September 8. François Bayrou made a bet that the media called suicidal the day before. And this is the case when Western journalists were right.

For - 194, against - 364. The National Assembly did not approve the statement of government policy in accordance with Article 50 of the Constitution. The Prime Minister must submit to the President of the Republic a letter of resignation of the government.

Result: no confidence, no position. Bayrou lasted 9 months in office. During this time, France became a record holder among the EU: the national debt increased to 3.35 trillion euros. But it is inappropriate to attribute this "achievement" only to him. After all, prime ministers in the Fifth Republic are a phenomenon that comes and goes: they change almost like the seasons.

Since January 2024, 4 politicians have sat in the chair of the head of government. Bayrou paid for his unpopular plan to cut the budget by canceling national holidays and cutting social spending.

François Bayrou, former Prime Minister of France:

"The problem, the threat, the risk for France will remain unchanged. Because, ladies and gentlemen, members of the Assembly, you have the power to overthrow the government, but you do not have the power to erase reality."

And the French reality, no matter how Emmanuel Macron tries to show it to his neighbors in the garden, is paralysis of power and political chaos. The latest video on the French president's TikTok page is a promenade with German Chancellor Merz. The caption: "France, landscape." This was the end of August, now the views there are different - protest.

"A sad spectacle" - this is how, according to polls, 82% of the French describe the current political chaos. It all started with "farewell" parties on Monday. Celebrations of the fall of the Bayrou government took place in 140 cities.

But the activists did not stop there. The country plunged into the abyss of mass demonstrations, the degree of hatred is growing. Following the Prime Minister, the French are demanding Macron's resignation.

According to a poll, 2/3 of the residents of the Fifth Republic negatively perceived his decision to appoint one of his close associates, the Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu, as the new Prime Minister.

Ralf Schellhammer, Professor at the University of Vienna:

"Macron has an approval rating of about 15%, so in a political sense he is a walking dead man. What Macron and his supporters are trying to do is clear: they will cling to power as long as they can. This is the same scenario that we see with the Reform UK party in the UK, and with Le Pen in France, with the Alternative for Germany, the Freedom Party of Austria, and also with Vox in Spain. I mean, we see the same scenario, which is repeated over and over again. And I always say: when we talk about elites, we are talking about elites who maintain the status quo. They are ready to continue on the intended course, even if everyone can already see the iceberg."

It is not only the French Rebirth party that is decadent, but also the German CDU/CSU and the British Labour Party. Events in France as an illustration of the political crisis in Europe.