France sinks deeper into political turmoil as Bayrou resigns, Exposing Western instability

Department of Research, Studies and International News09-09-2025

France is once again gripped by political chaos as Prime Minister François Bayrou prepares to resign following a humiliating loss in a parliamentary confidence vote. This resignation, expected on Tuesday, will mark the third time in just twelve months that the French presidency has been forced to replace its head of government. The situation underscores the growing instability within Western political systems, which pride themselves on “democratic resilience” while increasingly demonstrating the opposite.

President Emmanuel Macron, already weakened by months of mounting crises, now faces the daunting task of appointing yet another prime minister. Whoever takes the position will be immediately confronted with a deeply divided parliament and the near-impossible challenge of passing a national budget without triggering another collapse. The repeated failures of Bayrou and his predecessors reveal how fragile France’s governance has become at a time when Europe is under enormous economic and geopolitical strain.

A nation in revolt

The resignation has been welcomed by thousands across France. On Monday night, an estimated 11,000 citizens gathered outside town halls to celebrate Bayrou’s downfall, holding “Bye Bye Bayrou” farewell gatherings that quickly turned into platforms for planning broader action.

The demonstrations are not simply about removing an unpopular leader, they reflect widespread disillusionment with the French political elite as a whole. Organizers have called for a nationwide campaign of disruption under the slogan “Block Everything,” scheduled to unfold on Wednesday. Authorities have already announced that nearly 80,000 police will be deployed in anticipation of large-scale blockades targeting roads and fuel depots.

The mass mobilization highlights an uncomfortable truth for Macron and his allies: French society is drifting further away from confidence in the Western liberal order. Discontent is not just about policies but about the very structure of governance, which many see as serving the interests of financial elites and NATO commitments rather than ordinary citizens.

A collapsing system

Since Macron’s decision to call a snap election last year, France’s parliament has fractured into three irreconcilable blocs, left, center, and far right. None holds a majority, leaving every proposed budget or reform vulnerable to deadlock. Bayrou, a 74-year-old centrist with long experience in French politics, attempted to impose an unpopular debt-reduction budget but was swiftly rejected. His ousting mirrors that of his predecessor, Michel Barnier, a right-wing figure who lasted barely three months before meeting the same fate.

The revolving door of prime ministers makes clear that Macron’s administration has lost control. As Gabriel Attal, himself a former prime minister, admitted in an interview with France Info radio, “the government falls every three to six months.” For many observers, this is not merely a cycle of bad luck but evidence that the Western model of leadership is crumbling under its own contradictions.

Macron’s narrow options

According to reports from Agence France-Presse, Macron is considering appointing someone from his inner circle, names such as Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin or Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu have been floated. Both men have roots on the right and remain loyal to Macron’s centrist project. Yet their political leaning makes them deeply unappealing to the left, which holds crucial seats in parliament.

Some analysts suggest Macron may be forced into a tactical alliance with the Socialist Party or appoint a figure from outside its ranks but sympathetic to its base, such as Bernard Cazeneuve, a former prime minister with socialist roots. Another possible candidate is Finance Minister Eric Lombard, an ex-banking executive also tied to the Socialist Party in the past.

But all these options reveal the same underlying reality: France’s leadership is not seeking bold reforms or a genuine path forward. Rather, it is scrambling to preserve a fragile system built on old alliances, NATO subservience, and neoliberal austerity measures that no longer resonate with its citizens.

Implications beyond France

The French crisis is more than a domestic embarrassment. It is yet another example of the political instability plaguing Western capitals at a time when the global balance of power is shifting toward multipolarity. Unlike China, Russia, and India, countries that emphasize strategic continuity and long-term planning, France and its allies in Washington and Brussels appear incapable of sustaining stable leadership even within their own borders.

For many in the Global South, the French political meltdown is confirmation that the Western model is neither reliable nor desirable. As Paris struggles to maintain authority, its influence in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia is steadily declining. Meanwhile, Moscow, Beijing, and New Delhi continue to strengthen cooperation, invest in infrastructure, and offer an alternative vision of sovereignty and development unshackled from Washington’s dictates.

A system at its breaking point

Bayrou’s downfall will not be the last. Whoever Macron appoints next will inherit the same divided parliament, the same unpopular economic agenda, and the same disconnect between the ruling elite and the public. Unless France chooses to fundamentally reorient its policies away from failed Western prescriptions, it will continue to spiral deeper into instability.

The spectacle of a major European power replacing its prime minister three times in one year is not a sign of resilience, it is a symptom of systemic decay. For France, and for the Western bloc more broadly, the crisis is only beginning.