'Macron can resign or he will be impeached': French government falls after PM loses confidence vote - What's happening

In a big move, the French lawmakers on Monday (Sep 8) voted to oust Prime Minister François Bayrou, leaving the country in chaos and a new political crisis. A total of 364 MPs voted against Bayrou as he lost the confidence motion in the French Parliament. Only 194 voted for him, while more than 280 votes were needed to topple the government. French National Assembly Deputy Mathilde Panot issued an ultimatum be forced to to French President Emmanuel Macron, saying that he has two options - either to resign or be impeached. After losing the trust vote, Bayrou will now send his resignation to the French president, just after nine months in office, and following his predecessor Michel Barnier's footsteps.

Far-right leader Marine Le Pen has already demanded that the Parliament must be dissolved. Meanwhile, reports also suggested that Macron may appoint a caretaker government while looking for a new prime minister. Armed Forces Minister Sébastien Lecornu and Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin are among the frontrunners for the post. The move to bring down the government came amid plans to tame the ballooning national debt. President Emmanuel Macron will now be forced to find a fifth prime minister in less than two years.

Bayrou had called the confidence vote unexpectedly to try to win parliamentary support for his strategy to lower a deficit that stands at nearly double the European Union's 3 per cent ceiling and to start tackling a debt pile equivalent to 114 per cent of GDP. "This moment marks the end of the agony of a phantom government," far-right leader Marine Le Pen said. "Today is a day of relief for millions of French people, of relief over your departure," Mathilde Panot of the hard-left France Unbowed told Bayrou in the debate before the vote. To this, Bayrou responded, "You have the power to bring down the government, but you do not have the power to erase reality. Reality will remain relentless: expenses will continue to rise, and the burden of debt, already unbearable, will grow heavier and more costly."