On Monday 8 September, Prime Minister François Bayrou unsurprisingly lost the vote of confidence he had requested in the National Assembly (194 in favour, 364 against) in an attempt to convince MPs of the need for €44 billion in budgetary measures in 2026. The risky gamble he took led to his resignation and that of the government – a historic first in the Fifth Republic – on the eve of the ‘Bloquons tout’ social mobilisation on 10 September.

The very next day, Sébastien Lecornu was appointed Prime Minister, the fifth under the current presidential term. A former Minister of the Armed Forces from the right, little known to the French public, he is a long-time loyal supporter of Emmanuel Macron, who tasked him with ‘consulting the political forces represented in Parliament with a view to adopting a budget for the nation’ before proposing a government. His appointment inevitably sparked outrage among the opposition, particularly on the left. Although he has promised ‘change,’ his room for manoeuvre to restore the stability that has been largely lost since the misunderstood dissolution of 2024 remains very limited. All this is taking place in a climate of great social tension, with trade unions calling for a massive strike on 18 September.

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