Early September is known in France as La Rentrée, when children go back to school and adults return to work after the summer holiday. This year the French are returning to yet another political crisis, too. On Monday, Prime Minister François Bayrou lost a confidence vote in the National Assembly in Paris, triggering his ouster.
Later this week, President Emmanuel Macron is expected to appoint a new prime minister—the fifth in two years.
Bayrou had called for Monday’s vote to build momentum for his plans to rein in government deficits with spending cuts and tax increases. Those efforts are now paused, and the political uncertainty to follow could ripple across the continent and beyond. Below, Atlantic Council experts shed light on what’s happening in the City of Light.
Click to jump to an Atlantic Council expert analysis:
. Jörn Fleck: France’s political instability will be felt in Brussels and Berlin, too
. Lisa Homel: Facing constraints at home, Macron is likely to focus even more on foreign policy
