Nearly Nine in Ten Expect French Government to Fall This Year, Majority Want Macron to Resign

Nearly nine in ten French voters believe the recently installed government will collapse this year, while a majority said they want President Emmanuel Macron to resign.

Less than a month after being placed in the Hôtel Matignon, the French people already expect François Bayrou’s government to fall. According to an Odoxa-Backbone poll for Le Figaro, 86 per cent believe President Macron will have to appoint another prime minister this year.

Bayrou, a longtime neo-liberal ally of Macron’s, was tapped in December to replace Michel Barnier after the National Assembly collapsed his government as Marine Le Pen’s National Rally (RN) joined forces with the leftist New Popular Front (NFP) for a no-confidence vote, marking the first time in over six decades that a prime minister was ousted by the parliament in France.

The Bayrou government may face a similar end if it fails to come to a compromise within the deeply divided National Assembly on key issues, notably the budget.

With France facing potential downgrading from credit agencies and EU financial penalties over its soaring debt and deficits, ex-PM Barnier demanded 40 billion euros in tax hikes and cuts to benefits. Opponents in the Le Pen wing argued that higher taxes would hinder growth and exacerbate the issue.

Because of President Macron’s decision to call for snap legislative elections over the summer and his last-minute electoral deal with the far-left to prevent Le Pen’s party from taking power in the parliament, the National Assembly is currently divided in a three-way split, in which finding a majority to pass any legislation has become increasingly unlikely.

Under the French constitution, Macron is legally prohibited from calling for fresh elections until July. Currently, 50 per cent of the public support essentially putting the government on hold until after new elections.

However, even more (61 per cent) favour President Macron resigning from office — a seven per cent increase since September — which would spark a presidential election. Macron has vowed to remain in the Élysée Palace until the end of his term in 2027.

To relieve some of the political pressure, Macron suggested in a New Year address that he would be open to putting some issues directly before the public in national referenda. While he has not indicated what issues could be put up for a vote, Le Pen has long argued to put immigration up as a national referendum.

Yet there is deep scepticism about whether the government will honour the results of a referendum, with just 28 per cent saying that they trust Macron to implement the will of the people.

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