PARIS: President Emmanuel Macron was under pressure on Tuesday, even from allies, to find a rapid solution to France&#39;s political deadlock, after his first prime minister and one-time ally urged him to resign for the sake of the country. Macron, president since 2017, has been battling the worst domestic political crisis of his presidency after the shock resignation on Monday of his seventh prime minister, Sebastien Lecornu. Macron gave Lecornu until Wednesday evening to thrash out a compromise for a sustainable coalition government, but it is far from certain these efforts can succeed. If this fails, one option is for Macron to dissolve parliament and hold snap legislative elections in the hope of having a more workable make-up in the legislature. Macron on Tuesday evening held talks with the speakers of both the upper and lower houses of parliament, according to an aide, who asked not to be named. The purpose of the separate meetings was not made clear, but the president is obliged to consult both speakers if new elections are planned. Crisis &#39;harming country&#39;&nbsp;After already going through three prime ministers within the space of a year, Macron faces growing exasperation, including within his own camp. His outgoing spokesperson, Aurore Berge, insisted Tuesday that he would stay in office &quot;until the last minute of his term&quot; in 2027. However, former Prime Minister Edouard Philippe, Macron&#39;s premier from 2017 to 2020, said that presidential polls should be held early once a budget is passed, in comments that Le Parisien daily described as a &quot;political bomb.&quot; The next presidential election, where the far right, under Marine Le Pen, senses its best chance of winning power, is due in 2027, with Macron barred from running and Philippe already declared a candidate. Denouncing a &quot;distressing political game&quot;, Philippe told the broadcaster RTL it was up to Macron to help France &quot;emerge in an orderly and dignified manner from a political crisis that is harming the country.&quot; The other option for Macron is to appoint an entirely new prime minister who would be the eighth head of government of his mandate. France has been locked in a political crisis since Macron&#39;s gamble to hold legislative elections in the summer of 2024 backfired, resulting in a hung parliament and a strengthened far-right. The domestic isolation of Macron, who was filmed Monday walking alone by the banks of the Seine deep in a telephone conversation, contrasts with his visibility on the international stage, where he is seeking to end Russia&#39;s invasion of Ukraine alongside President Donald Trump. &#39;Umpteenth negotiations&#39;&nbsp;Lecornu planned meetings with political groups from Tuesday afternoon to Wednesday morning in an attempt to break the impasse. By late Tuesday, momentum was growing for him to open the door to suspending a deeply unpopular pensions reform pushed through in 2023, said leftist politician Raphael Glucksmann as he left the prime minister&#39;s office. But it would underscore the challenges facing the next premier of finding enough support for a cost-cutting budget at a time when France&#39;s public debt has reached a record high. Le Pen, whose candidacy in the presidential election is in severe doubt due to a fraud conviction, said it would be &quot;wise&quot; for Macron to resign but also urged snap legislative polls as &quot;absolutely necessary.&quot; Le Pen and her 30-year-old lieutenant Jordan Bardella, who is expected to stand for the presidency if she is barred over a court conviction, turned down Lecornu&#39;s invitation for talks, their National Rally party said. &quot;These umpteenth negotiations no longer aim to protect the interests of the French people, but those of the president himself,&quot; the party added. Socialist Party leader Olivier Faure said his party would attend talks with Lecornu, adding that the next premier should come from the left.

Europe

The French president is battling the worst domestic political crisis of his presidency after the shock resignation of his seventh prime minister, Sebastien Lecornu.

Macron urged to quit to end France political crisis

Shortly after French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu resigned less than a month into the job, President Emmanuel Macron was seen walking by the River Seine in Paris, deep in a phone conversation, with only his security detail at a discreet distance. Whom Macron was speaking to and what he was discussing remain unclear. But the image symbolized the president&rsquo;s growing political isolation as he faces a dwindling set of options &mdash; all of them fraught with risk. With his second and final presidential term set to end in 2027, analysts say Macron has four possible courses of action. None offers an easy solution. Reappoint Lecornu Macron appears to have kept this option open after Bruno Le Maire &mdash; the loyal former finance minister whose appointment as defense minister triggered the crisis &mdash; announced his intention to withdraw from the government. The Elysee Palace then announced that Lecornu had been given two days to present an action plan, with the prime minister saying he would hold &ldquo;final discussions&rdquo; with &ldquo;all the political forces.&rdquo; However, it remains uncertain whether Lecornu can form a government, let alone survive a confidence vote in parliament, where his allies are in the minority. Even if successful, his reappointment would not be automatic, a French presidential official said. &ldquo;The fundamentals of the problem remain the same: with or without Le Maire, the other parliamentary blocs don&rsquo;t agree on the budget, pension reform, immigration, and so forth,&rdquo; said Paul Taylor, senior visiting fellow at the European Policy Centre. A new prime minister If Macron appoints a new prime minister, it would mark the eighth of his presidency and the third this year &mdash; hardly a sign of stability. The left has demanded that he name someone who would back a more expansionary budget, but it is unclear if Macron would do so. Even then, the new premier might not enjoy broad support across the divided left. &ldquo;Another PM could be toppled within weeks &mdash; making a new legislative election almost inevitable,&rdquo; said the Eurasia Group risk analysis firm. Early elections Macron has long resisted calling early elections after his gamble on snap polls in summer 2024 backfired, leaving France with a hung parliament. Yet, a presidential official said Macron would &ldquo;assume his responsibilities&rdquo; if Lecornu fails in the coming days &mdash; a comment widely interpreted as a signal he may dissolve parliament. Such elections could boost the far-right National Rally of Marine Le Pen, potentially giving her prot&eacute;g&eacute; Jordan Bardella a path to the premiership. Still, the outcome remains uncertain. &ldquo;It is unclear whether new elections would produce a different result than the one from last July,&rdquo; said Celia Belin, head of the Paris office of the European Council on Foreign Relations. Resignation Macron has repeatedly dismissed the idea of resigning before his term ends, which would trigger an early presidential election. But pressure on him is mounting. &ldquo;If new snap elections do not allow for a governing majority, the political crisis could turn into a regime crisis. In that case, President Macron&rsquo;s ability to stay in power could be questioned,&rdquo; Belin said.

French outgoing Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu, who resigned just a day after naming his government, delivers his statement at the Hotel Matignon in Paris, Monday, Oct. 6, 2025. (Stephane Mahe/Pool via AP)

France faces political uncertainty after Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu’s resignation. President Emmanuel Macron must decide between reappointing him, naming a new premier, or calling early elections as parliamentary deadlock continues.

Macron's dilemma: What next for France after PM resigns?

PARIS: France&#39;s President Emmanuel Macron on Monday accepted Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu&#39;s resignation just hours after unveiling his cabinet, the presidency said, plunging the European nation further into political deadlock. France&#39;s President Emmanuel Macron named Lecornu, a former defense minister, to the post last month. But the largely unchanged cabinet he unveiled late on Sunday to work with Lecornu sparked fierce criticism across the political spectrum. Lecornu Monday said the conditions were not satisfied to allow him to stay in office, after resigning following less than a month in the post. &quot;The conditions were not fulfilled for me to carry out my function as prime minister,&quot; Lecornu said, denouncing the &quot;partisan appetites&quot; of factions who he said had forced his resignation. &lsquo;Deeply divided&rsquo;Lecornu had faced the daunting task of finding approval in a deeply divided parliament for an austerity budget for next year. Lecornu&#39;s two immediate predecessors, Francois Bayrou and Michel Barnier, were ousted by the legislative chamber in a standoff over the spending plan. France&#39;s public debt has reached a record high, official data showed last week. France&#39;s debt-to-GDP ratio is now the European Union&#39;s third highest after Greece and Italy, and is close to twice the 60 percent permitted under EU rules. Mired in deadlockPrevious governments had rammed the last three annual budgets through parliament without a vote, a method allowed by the constitution but deeply criticised by the opposition. But Lecornu promised last week to ensure lawmakers were able to vote on the bill. France has been mired in deadlock since Macron gambled on snap parliamentary elections in the middle of last year in the hopes of bolstering his authority. The move backfired, leaving the Macron-friendly bloc in the assembly in a minority. Stock market sinks&nbsp;The Paris stock market slipped Monday as Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu resigned after a month in the job, plunging the country into further political turmoil. The CAC 40 index of blue-chip stocks was down more than two percent at around 0800 GMT.

French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu resigned just hours after unveiling his cabinet, deepening political deadlock. Facing fierce criticism and a divided parliament over austerity plans, his departure shook markets and intensified France’s crisis.

France's new PM resigns hours after cabinet unveiled: presidency

LONDON: New Zealand maintained their record of never losing back-to-back matches at the Women&#39;s Rugby World Cup with a 42-26 win over France in the third-place play-off at Twickenham on Saturday. The Black Ferns had the match all but won at half-time, leading 26-7 after outscoring Les Bleues four tries to one in the opening period with three of those scores coming in the closing eight minutes of the half.&nbsp;New Zealand teenage wing sensation Braxton Sorensen-McGee struck twice in the second half to take her tally for her debut World Cup to 11 tries.&nbsp;It all meant New Zealand, the record six-time women&#39;s world champions, had enough in hand to withstand a France fightback in the last quarter as Les Bleues scored three more tries of their own.&nbsp;New Zealand found themselves in unfamiliar territory after their run of 18 consecutive World Cup wins ended with a 34-19 semi-final loss to an inspired Canada, the Black Ferns&#39; first loss at the tournament since 2014.&nbsp;&#39;Heart and passion&#39;&quot;That was for the wave of Black in here and at home,&quot; said New Zealand full-back Renee Holmes, the player of the match. &quot;It means everything, and that&#39;s what this team means. Thank you to the 50,000 in the crowd.&quot;&nbsp;New Zealand captain Ruahei Demant added: &quot;First of all, I&#39;m really proud of the way not just we but the French girls as well were able to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and play with real heart and passion today.&nbsp;&quot;I&#39;m sure as we go home and sit and dwell, there&#39;ll be a lot more reflections to come around the growth in our game, the resourcing... there&#39;s been lots of positives as well.&quot;&nbsp;France, who have never reached the final, suffered a second defeat in their eighth bronze-medal game. They lost 35-17 by tournament hosts and favourites England in the semi-finals last weekend.&nbsp;&quot;When we went into the dressing room at half-time the score was quite heavily against us,&quot; said France co-head coach Gaelle Mignot. &quot;We tried to give them the right words.&nbsp;&quot;I was really impressed with the reaction in the second half, so I think there&#39;s a lot to believe in for the future.&quot;&nbsp;With Twickenham already two-thirds full ahead of an expected 82,000 sell-out for the final between England and Canada later Saturday, France scrum-half Pauline Bourdon Sansus crowned a flowing move for a 10th-minute try converted by Carla Arbez.&nbsp;New Zealand equalised when centre Stacey Waaka&#39;s sharp inside pass sent in fly-half Demant for a try between the posts.&nbsp;Black Ferns centre Sylvia Brunt, after several carries by the forwards, showed good strength to stretch over for a try eight minutes before the break.&nbsp;There was still time for New Zealand, increasingly dominant up front, to add two more tries before the interval.&nbsp;A give-and-go between Brunt and Renee Holmes ended with Holmes finishing unopposed before converting her own try and the fit-again Jorja Miller then set up second row Laura Bayfield.&nbsp;Sorensen-McGee sprinted in from some 30 yards out early in the second half.&nbsp;There was an emotional moment when New Zealand great Portia Woodman-Wickliffe, who reversed her retirement from 15-a-side rugby to play at this World Cup, was replaced in what could be the wing&#39;s last match at this level.&nbsp;At the other end of the age spectrum, Sorensen-McGee surged in for her second score of the match on the hour mark.&nbsp;France&#39;s Lea Champon and Gabrielle Vernier pulled tries back before Emilie Boulard went over with eight minutes remaining.&nbsp;But it was too little too late for France, with Holmes having the final say with a last-minute penalty.

Rugby

New Zealand beat France 42-26 in the Women’s Rugby World Cup third-place play-off at Twickenham. Teenage star Braxton Sorensen-McGee scored twice, securing 11 tries in her debut tournament, as the Black Ferns rebounded strongly after their semifinal defeat.

New Zealand over-power France to secure Women's Rugby World Cup Bronze  

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: France recognized a Palestinian state at a world summit in New York on Monday, nearly two years into the war in Gaza, joining Western allies such as Britain and Canada, who made the same historic move on Sunday and were rebuked by Israel, according to Reuters. &quot;We must do everything within our power to preserve the very possibility of a two-state solution, Israel and Palestine living side by side in peace and security,&quot; the summit host, French President Emmanuel Macron, said at the beginning of a planned three-hour session at the United Nations.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-10" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-10&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1970237707336192210&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fmedia-library%2F&sessionId=b0934304d0dccc2dc5d31d4e755d5a42b993341a&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 777px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;">&nbsp;</iframe></div></div>&quot;France recognizes the State of Palestine,&quot; he added to applause. &quot;We can no longer wait,&quot; he says, adding that recognition is a necessary step to break the spiral of violence and secure peace, CNN reported. Announcing France&#39;s recognition of a Palestinian state, Macron told the UN that &quot;nothing justifies the ongoing war&quot; in Gaza. But he stressed that giving Palestinians rights does not take away from the rights of the Israelis.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-11" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-11&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1970221879404188012&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fmedia-library%2F&sessionId=b0934304d0dccc2dc5d31d4e755d5a42b993341a&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 801px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;"></iframe></div></div>Change on the ground&nbsp;While the event, convened by France and Saudi Arabia, could boost the morale of Palestinians in their long search for statehood, it is not expected to deliver change on the ground, Reuters reported. The most far-right government in Israel&#39;s history has declared there will be no Palestinian state. Israel has become increasingly isolated and drawn global condemnation over its war on Gaza, where more than 65,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to local health authorities. In recent weeks, Israel has begun a long-threatened ground assault on Gaza City with few prospects for a ceasefire. Andorra, Belgium, Luxembourg and San Marino were also expected to recognize a Palestinian state on Monday ahead of this week&#39;s UN General Assembly, after Australia, Britain, Canada and Portugal did so at the weekend. Malta made the announcement earlier on Monday. Israel has said such moves will undermine the prospects of a peaceful ending to the conflict in Gaza. Oslo AccordsThe two-state solution was the bedrock of the US-backed peace process ushered in by the 1993 Oslo Accords. The process suffered heavy pushback from both sides and has all but died. No such negotiations over a two-state solution have been held since 2014. The United States and Israel boycotted Monday&rsquo;s meeting. Israel&rsquo;s UN Ambassador Danny Danon said Israel would discuss what action to take in response to the announcements of recognition after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu returns to Israel next week. &ldquo;Those issues were supposed to be negotiated between Israel and the Palestinians in the future,&rdquo; he told reporters ahead of the meeting. The United States has told other countries that Palestinian recognition will create more problems, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said earlier this month. Israeli aggression&nbsp;Amid Israel&#39;s intensified Gaza offensive and escalating violence by Israeli settlers in the West Bank, there is a growing sense of urgency among some nations to act now before the idea of a two-state solution vanishes forever. France has driven the move, hoping that Macron&#39;s announcement in July that he would recognize a Palestinian state would give greater momentum to a movement hitherto dominated by smaller nations that are generally more critical of Israel. A delegation representing the State of Palestine has observer status at the United Nations - but no voting rights. US veto&nbsp;No matter how many countries recognize Palestinian independence, full UN membership would require approval by the Security Council, where the US has a veto. European divisions and Israeli responseWhile the majority of European countries now recognize a Palestinian state, two of the continent&#39;s largest economies, Germany and Italy, have signaled they are unlikely to make such a move soon. Germany, long a strong supporter of Israel because of its responsibility for the Holocaust, has grown more critical of Israeli policy, while insisting that recognition of a Palestinian state should come at the end of a political process to agree on a two-state solution. No further annexationsThe German government spokesperson also said on Monday that there must be no further annexations in Israeli-occupied territory. Italy said recognizing a Palestinian state could be &quot;counterproductive.&quot; On the ground, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected numerous calls to end the war until Hamas is destroyed and has said he will not recognize a Palestinian state. Netanyahu said in a statement on Sunday that he will announce Israel&#39;s response to Palestinian state recognition when he returns from the US, where he is scheduled to meet US President Donald Trump. Israel is considering annexing part of the occupied West Bank as a possible response, as well as specific bilateral measures against Paris, Israeli officials have said, even though the recognitions are expected to be largely symbolic. The US has warned of possible consequences for those who take measures against Israel, including France as host of the summit, Reuters reported. 50 Palestinians killed At least 50 Palestinians were killed yesterday in Israeli strikes on Gaza and the war has overall killed more than 65,000 people in the enclave, according to the health ministry, CNN reported.&nbsp;

Middle East

France joins Britain and Canada in recognizing a Palestinian state at the UN summit, aiming to support a two-state solution. Israel has opposed the move, warning it would harm peace prospects, while considering annexing parts of the West Bank.

France joins other Western countries in recognizing Palestinian state

Reuters

PARIS: Teachers, train drivers, pharmacists and hospital staff went on strike Thursday, and teenagers blocked entrances to high schools across France in nationwide protests against planned budget cuts. Unions called for scrapping the previous government&rsquo;s fiscal plans, more spending on public services, higher taxes on the wealthy and a reversal of a change that makes people work longer to receive a pension. The walkouts disrupted transit and classes in major cities, including Paris. In the capital, many metro lines were set to be suspended for much of the day except during rush hours, officials said. Students gathered to block some school entrances. &ldquo;Block your high school against austerity,&rdquo; read a sign at the Lyc&eacute;e Maurice Ravel, where teachers and labor representatives joined the crowd. &ldquo;Workers are currently so despised by this government and by President Emmanuel Macron that it can&rsquo;t continue like this,&rdquo; bus driver and CGT union representative Fred said outside the school. &ldquo;I am here to defend public services,&rdquo; said Gaetan Legay, a 33-year-old teacher, adding that public money should go &ldquo;back into public services ... rather than to large companies or as tax gifts to the ultra-rich.&rdquo; Macron and newly appointed Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu face pressure from parliament over likely budget cuts and from investors concerned about the deficit in the eurozone&rsquo;s second-largest economy. Workers angry over fiscal plans An Interior Ministry source said as many as 800,000 people were expected to take part in strikes and protests. &ldquo;The workers we represent are angry,&rdquo; major unions said in a joint statement rejecting the previous government&rsquo;s &ldquo;brutal&rdquo; and &ldquo;unfair&rdquo; fiscal plans. France&rsquo;s budget deficit last year was close to double the European Union&rsquo;s 3% ceiling. Even as he seeks to reduce it, Lecornu&mdash;who must rely on other parties to pass legislation&mdash;faces a difficult path to assemble support for a 2026 budget. His predecessor, Francois Bayrou, was ousted by parliament last week over a plan to cut 44 billion euros. Lecornu has not said whether he will keep that plan but has signaled a willingness to compromise. Protests hit schools, trains The FSU-SNUipp union said one in three primary school teachers were on strike nationwide, and nearly one in two in Paris. Regional trains were heavily affected, though most high-speed lines operated, officials said. Protesters briefly slowed traffic on a highway near Toulon. Nuclear output at utility EDF was slightly lower, down 1.1 gigawatts early Thursday, company data showed, as workers reduced power at the Flamanville 1 reactor. Pharmacists protested changes affecting their business, and the USPO pharmacists&rsquo; union said a survey of members found 98% could close for the day. The farmers&rsquo; union Confederation Paysanne also called for mobilization. Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said police removed several blockades, including at bus depots in the Paris region, and warned that up to 8,000 violent agitators could try to clash with police. Authorities planned to deploy about 80,000 police and gendarmes, with riot units, drones and armored vehicles available. More than 20 people had been arrested, police said. Plans to move the 70-meter-long Bayeux tapestry, whose stitching depicts the 1066 Norman invasion, were delayed because of the strike, the local prefecture said. The tapestry is set to be loaned to Britain.

French unions stage mass strikes and school blockades, protesting austerity, pension reforms, and cuts in 2026 budget.

Strikes across France as workers march against austerity plan

PARIS: France&#39;s new prime minister, Sebastien Lecornu, pledged to find creative ways to work with rivals to pass a debt-slimming budget while also promising new policy directions, after taking office on a day of sprawling anti-government protests on Wednesday.President Emmanuel Macron picked Lecornu to be his fifth prime minister in two years on Tuesday, naming a loyalist who is unlikely to rip up his pro-business economic agenda.Lecornu replaced Francois Bayrou, who was ousted in a parliamentary vote on Monday over his plans to trim the country&#39;s outsized budget deficit, the biggest in the euro zone.Lecornu, most recently defence minister, said in a brief speech after a handover ceremony that the government would need &quot;to be more creative, sometimes more technical, more serious,&quot; in how it works with the opposition. But he also said &quot;ruptures will be necessary&quot;.Lecornu&#39;s immediate challenge will be how to steer a streamlined 2026 budget through parliament, which is split into three distinct ideological blocs. Parties broadly agree on the need to slash France&#39;s deficit, which reached 5.8% of GDP in 2024, but not on how to do it.Lecornu has to send a full draft of the text to parliament by October 7, although there is some wiggle room until October 13, after which lawmakers will run out of time to pass the budget by year&#39;s end.Reactions to Lecornu&#39;s appointment on Tuesday underscored the challenge he faces.While the hard-left said it would seek to topple Lecornu with an immediate no-confidence motion, the far-right National Rally (RN) signalled tentative willingness to work with him on the budget - as long as its budgetary demands are met.&quot;His budget will be RN or his government will not be,&quot; RN lawmaker Laure Lavalette posted on X late on Tuesday.The RN is France&#39;s largest parliamentary party and as such a crucial factor in any potential no-confidence motion. Still, Lecornu is seen as the closest member of Macron&#39;s circle to the RN, having dined with RN president Jordan Bardella last year.&#39;BLOCK EVERYTHING&#39; PROTESTSLecornu&#39;s other path involves uniting the Socialists, who want to water down budget cuts and tax the rich, with his former party The Republicans, who are dead-set against any tax rises.Macron, in an unusual step, called Socialist party leader Olivier Faure on Tuesday to tell him he would not be appointing a leftist as prime minister. On Wednesday, Faure appeared to leave the door ajar to working with Lecornu, while also saying he would support a no-confidence measure if he felt the government didn&#39;t take on board its budgetary priorities.Thousands of people across France meanwhile took to the streets as part of so-called &quot;Block Everything&quot; protests, an expression of broad discontent with Macron, proposed budget cuts and the entire political class.&quot;Anger has been rumbling for months, even years,&quot; said Daniel Bretones, a union member protesting in Marseille. &quot;We&#39;re on the fifth prime minister under Macron&#39;s second term, and it has never changed anything.&quot;

President Emmanuel Macron picked Lecornu to be his fifth prime minister in two years on Tuesday.

France's new prime minister takes office amid anti-government protests

PARIS: France&#39;s parliament brought down the government on Monday over its plans to tame the ballooning national debt, deepening a political crisis that is weakening the euro zone&#39;s second-largest economy. Lawmakers voted to oust Prime Minister Francois Bayrou and his minority government with 364 votes against the veteran centrist politician and 194 in his favour. President Emmanuel Macron, who is facing calls from the opposition to dissolve parliament and resign, will instead hunt for his fifth prime minister in less than two years. His office said he would appoint one in the next few days. Challenges aheadThe next government&#39;s most pressing task will be to pass a budget, the same challenge Francois Bayrou faced when he took office nine months ago. Securing the backing of a very divided parliament will be equally hard. &quot;You have the power to bring down the government, but you do not have the power to erase reality,&quot; Bayrou told lawmakers before losing the confidence vote. &quot;Reality will remain relentless: expenses will continue to rise, and the burden of debt, already unbearable, will grow heavier and more costly,&quot; he said. No support for deficit-lowering strategyBayrou will tender his resignation on Tuesday, his office said. He had called the confidence vote to try to win parliamentary support for his strategy to lower a deficit that stands at nearly double the European Union&#39;s 3% ceiling, and to start tackling a debt pile equivalent to 114% of GDP. But opposition parties were in little mood to rally behind his planned savings of 44 billion euros ($51.51 billion) in next year&#39;s budget, with an election for Macron&#39;s successor looming in 2027. &quot;This moment marks the end of the agony of a phantom government,&quot; far-right leader Marine Le Pen said, pushing for a snap parliamentary election, which Macron has so far ruled out. &quot;Macron is now on the front line facing the people. He too must go,&quot; Jean-Luc Melenchon, leader of the hard-left France Unbowed, said on X. Who&#39;s next?A lengthy period of political and fiscal uncertainty risks undermining Macron&#39;s influence in Europe at a time when the United States is talking tough on trade and security, and war is raging in Ukraine on Europe&#39;s eastern flank. &nbsp; The French president could now nominate a politician from his own centrist minority ruling group or from the ranks of conservatives as the next premier, but that would mean doubling down on a strategy that has failed to yield a stable alliance. He also could tack to the left and nominate a moderate socialist, or choose a technocrat. No scenario would be likely to hand the next government a parliamentary majority. It was inevitable that the need to form a new government would result in a dilution of the deficit reduction plan, Finance Minister Eric Lombard said before the vote. Macron may eventually decide the only path out of the crisis lies in calling a snap election, but he has so far resisted calls from Le Pen&#39;s National Rally and from France Unbowed to dissolve parliament a second time.&nbsp; Fiscal messFinancial markets had anticipated the confidence vote would fail and there was little immediate reaction on Monday. French markets face another test on Friday, when Fitch Ratings reviews its sovereign rating for France. Moody&#39;s and S&amp;P Global follow with their own rating reviews in October and November. &quot;Over the near-term, I&#39;m sure everyone in markets expects paralysis and downward pressure on ratings,&quot; said Chris Scicluna, head of economic research for Daiwa Capital Markets. As for now, &quot;the outcome was as expected, so markets should react in a modest way.&quot; France&#39;s EU peers will be watching closely.&nbsp; High debt servicingFrance holds the highest deficit as a percentage of GDP in the euro zone - the bloc using the EU&#39;s single currency. It pays more to service its debt than Spain and spreads against benchmark German 10-year bonds are at their highest level in four months.&nbsp; A rating downgrade would hamper France&#39;s ability to raise money at low interest rates from investors, potentially deepening its debt problems.&nbsp; The Socialists have offered a counter-budget that would impose a tax of at least 2% on personal wealth greater than 100 million euros ($117.5 million) and generate savings of 22 billion euros - a proposal that would be tough to marry with the pro-business reform agenda of Macron&#39;s presidency. Future disruptions expectedDiscontent may also start brewing on the streets. A grassroots protest movement called &quot;Bloquons Tout&quot; (&quot;Let&#39;s Block Everything&quot;) is calling for nationwide disruption on Wednesday. Trade unions are plotting walkouts the week after. Like many in France, Mohamed, 80, who sells produce at the Aligre market in Paris, doesn&#39;t think the politicians will find a way out.&nbsp; &quot;Come back in 10 days and you&#39;ll see nothing will have changed. There won&#39;t be a majority, there will be no budget.&quot;

France’s parliament voted to oust Prime Minister François Bayrou and his government over debt-reduction plans, deepening a political crisis for President Macron. The move heightens fiscal uncertainty in the euro zone’s second-largest economy as France faces record debt and looming credit rating reviews

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