The government of France has once again collapsed like a deflated souffle. Prime Minister Francois Bayrou was ousted Monday after 364 members of the 577-seat National Assembly backed a no-confidence motion, the Wall Street Journal reports. He is expected to submit his resignation to French President Emmanuel Macron early Tuesday. Le Monde reports that Bayrou, who had been in office just nine months, "blindsided even his allies" by calling the vote to end a budget standoff. His austerity plan, which angered the public and triggered weeks of debate in Parliament, called for more than $50 billion in spending cuts over three years, including cuts to pensions and healthcare.
Bayrou, a 74-year-old centrist, had gambled that lawmakers would support his call to cut public spending to reduce the country's debt, the AP reports. Instead, opposition parties united against him. "You have the power to overthrow the government, but you do not have the power to erase reality," he said in a speech before the vote. "Reality will remain inexorable. Spending will continue to increase and the debt burden—already unbearable—will grow heavier and more costly."
Macron now has to appoint a new prime minister—the country's fourth in just 12 months—though opposition parties are urging him to call a snap election first. Bayrou's predecessor, Michel Barnier, was ousted after just 91 days, becoming the first prime minister to fall to a no-confidence vote since 1962.
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