France risks yet another government collapse, with Prime Minister François Bayrou likely to lose a confidence vote on Monday over his unpopular austerity
budget. The outcome could deepen political instability and further isolate President Emmanuel Macron. Bayrou, a centrist, appointed by Macron, who has led the government for nine months, has tied his survival to a budget plan that freezes welfare payments and seeks to cut the country's swelling deficit. Both Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally and a coalition of left-wing parties have vowed to vote against him, virtually guaranteeing the government's fall, reports NYT. Also Read: Donald Trump's Hot-Mic Whisper On Putin With France's Macron, 'I Think He...' If toppled, Bayrou would become the fourth prime minister forced out in less than two years. France's lower house is split among right, left and centrist blocs, none able to govern alone, leaving Macron's presidency adrift. The crisis follows Macron's decision last year to call snap parliamentary elections, a gamble that fractured politics further. Once credited with reshaping French politics through his centrist movement, Macron now faces record-low approval ratings. A recent Verian poll for Le Figaro Magazine found just 15% of voters trust him, while Bayrou’s support is even lower at 14%. Macron, who cannot run again in 2027, has rejected calls to resign but is under growing pressure from both the far right and far left, which hope to force early presidential elections. If Bayrou falls, Macron will have to appoint another prime minister - a task recent history suggests may prove futile - or risk another parliamentary election that polls indicate could hand the National Rally a majority. France's political deadlock has also rattled its economy. The deficit has widened to nearly $198 billion, or 5.8% of GDP, far above EU limits. National debt now exceeds $3.9 trillion, with annual interest costs projected to top $77 billion. Bayrou has argued that painful choices are unavoidable, even proposing the elimination of two public holidays to raise tax revenue, as per NYT report. But attempts to trim France's social safety net remain deeply unpopular. Protests erupted last year over Macron's decision to raise the retirement age, and Bayrou's latest measures have drawn fierce opposition across the spectrum. "There are worse catastrophes in life than the fall of a government," 74-year-old Bayrou, a Christian Democrat, said last week, signalling he is prepared for defeat. He expressed frustration on Sunday that bitter rivals on the opposite ends of the political spectrum in the National Assembly are ganging up against him, reports AP. "What's the point of bringing down the government? These are political groups that not only don't agree on anything but, far worse than that, are waging open civil war against each other," he said in an interview with online media outlet Brut.
