Nine months after taking office, the fragile government of François Bayrou has collapsed, plunging France into a deep political crisis. The fall, widely seen as inevitable, followed a contentious vote of confidence on the deeply unpopular 2026 budget proposal, ironically supported by Bayrou himself. This comes against the backdrop of President Macron’s intention to recognize a Palestinian state and his vocal criticism of Israel’s policy in Gaza.

The budget, introduced by the prime minister, was decisively rejected in the National Assembly, with 364 votes against and just 194 in favor. The sweeping opposition brought together both ends of the political spectrum, with the right-wing Rassemblement National and left-wing parties, chiefly the Socialists and La France Insoumise, voting in unison to sink the plan. It marked a political death knell similar to the one that ended the tenure of Bayrou’s predecessor, Michel Barnier.

Bayrou’s austerity-driven budget aimed to slash nearly €44 billion from public spending in a bid to rein in France’s soaring debt, currently around 114 percent of GDP, and a deficit that has ballooned to over 6 percent, twice the European Union’s threshold. To reduce the deficit to 4.6 percent of GDP, the plan proposed deep spending cuts, tax…