This article is about the 2024–2025 government and political crisis. For the 2023 government crisis which brought down the Borne government, see 2023–2024 French government crisis.
The government of Gabriel Attal submitted its resignation on 15 July 2024.[5] At the same time, it was engaged in trying to handle the 2024 New Caledonia unrest, following Renaissance's attempt to implement a controversial reform of voting rights on the island in May 2024.[6]
Macron delayed the appointment of a new prime minister until after the 2024 Summer Olympics, announcing that an "Olympic truce" should be respected,[7] which was already a singular choice in French politics.[8] By mid-August, he had still not appointed a prime minister but instead announced his intention to consult with the various parties, which was done on 23 August.[7][9]
On 26 August, after meeting the leaders of the National Rally (RN), Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella,[10] Macron announced that, contrary to the usual practice of cohabitation in France,[11][12] he would not appoint Lucie Castets, the candidate nominated by the NFP to become prime minister.[13] This decision exacerbated the crisis,[14] and France Unbowed (LFI), the main party within the NFP, announced its intention to initiate impeachment proceedings against him.[15][16][17] While Macron would have liked to see a centrist coalition form and called for another round of consultations, the Greens and a faction of the Socialist Party (PS), both minority members of the NFP, announced their refusal to participate in further discussions.[18] The National Rally (RN), meanwhile, maintained a low-key attitude, aiming to capitalize on the disputes between Macron and the leftist parties that won the elections.[18] Various organizations called for protests and strikes to be held on 7 September.[19]
On 28 August, former president François Hollande, himself a member of the NFP, called the crisis an "institutional fault".[20][21] On the same day, Macron announced that he would meet the leaders of the French regions.[22][23] On 29 August, the Socialist Party opened its summer university, where two opposing factions were expected to clash: those aligned with the political stance of the party's president, Olivier Faure, supporting Lucie Castets' candidacy, and the dissenters, such as Carole Delga and Bernard Cazeneuve, who advocated for an alliance with Emmanuel Macron's party and what they call the "republican forces".[24][25][26]
Macron notably spoke with Delga on the morning of the 29th.[24] Meanwhile, the General Confederation of Labour (CGT), France's largest trade union, condemned what it called a "power grab" by Macron and called for a day of strikes and protests on 1 October against the budget announced by the caretaker government,[27] while refusing to say to participate in the 7 September planned protests, announcing that they preferred to focus on social and economic issues instead of political ones.[19] The same evening, Ségolène Royal, a former Socialist Party candidate in the 2007 presidential election, who left the party in 2017 when she was appointed as an ambassador by Macron before "discreetly" rejoining the party in 2021 after being ousted from said post,[28] announced that she was "available" for the position.[29][30]
On 30 August, former president Nicolas Sarkozy called for a right-wing prime minister to be named.[31]
On 31 August, France Unbowed (LFI) officially launched the proceedings to impeach Emmanuel Macron, using article 68 of the French constitution,[32][33][34] that states that the president "can only be removed from office in the event of a breach of duties that is clearly incompatible with the exercise of their mandate."[35]
President Macron named Michel Barnier as Prime Minister on 5 September. The caretaker Attal government remained in place for 51 days,[18] unprecedented since the fallen Pompidou government lasted 62 days in 1962.[36] If no government had been appointed by 16 September, it would have been the longest period under a caretaker government in modern French history.[36] Barnier appointed his minority government composed of Ensemble and The Republicans. The NFP declared its opposition to the new government and proceeded to call a vote of no confidence, which failed due to the abstention of the RN.
On 13 December, Macron appointed Democratic Movement leader François Bayrou as Prime Minister.[41] According to Le Monde, the appointment of Bayrou was decided on at the last minute, with Macron originally telling Bayrou that he would not be named Prime Minister, only to be forced to appoint Bayrou shortly afterwards when Bayrou threatened to pull his support from Macron.[42]
Following Bayrou's appointment, Moody's Ratings cut the French credit rating, saying that it was "our view that the country's public finances will be substantially weakened over the coming years" and that "political fragmentation is more likely to impede meaningful fiscal consolidation."[43]
In January 2025, the National Assembly repeatedly rejected motions of no confidence in the Bayrou government by a large margin, thanks to the abstentions of the Socialists and of the National Rally.
In the summer, Bayrou presented an austerity budget for 2026, which was endorsed by Macron's centrist alliance but faced opposition from both the left and the right. Bayrou refused to negotiate and instead, he asked the Assembly for a vote of confidence under article 49.1 of the Constitution.[44] The vote, held on 8 September, resulted in a heavy defeat for Bayrou, with 194 votes in favor of the government and 364 against. The National Rally and the New Popular Front voted against alongside other minor parties.[45][46][47]
↑ In the French National Assembly, motions of no confidence are voted on by open ballot, with only those in favor of the motion taking part in the vote. Since a majority of the entire membership is required, those who are absent or do not cast a ballot are de facto voting against.
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