🏛️ A Government Defeated, A Nation Divided

France was plunged into profound political uncertainty on September 9, 2025, after Prime Minister François Bayrou’s government was decisively ousted in a no-confidence vote. The motion, triggered by his administration’s deeply unpopular €44 billion austerity budget, passed with a crushing majority of 364 to 194. The vote saw an unlikely de-facto alliance of the left-wing New Popular Front (NPF) and the far-right National Rally (RN), who united to dismantle the centrist government.

Bayrou, a veteran centrist appointed just nine months ago to break the parliamentary deadlock, formally submitted his resignation to President Emmanuel Macron. This collapse makes him the third prime minister to fall in just 14 months, a stark symbol of France’s deepening political instability since the 2024 legislative elections produced a hung parliament.

✊ “Bloquons Tout”: A Digital Spark Ignites a National Firestorm

The political implosion coincides with the launch of the massive “Bloquons Tout” (Block Everything) protest movement. What began as a decentralized, youth-led campaign on TikTok and Telegram has now gained the official backing of major trade unions, including the powerful CGT and SUD confederations. The movement is calling for a general strike and nationwide demonstrations, protesting not only the budget cuts but also the broader cost-of-living crisis and perceived government inaction on social inequality.

📊 The Economic Tightrope: Debt, Deficit, and Desperation

🏛️ A Fractured Parliament: The Roots of Paralysis

The crisis stems from the July 2024 elections, which left the National Assembly split into three irreconcilable blocs, making a stable majority impossible. The ideological chasm between the groups prevents any form of coalition government.