France in a political deadlock after the fall of the French government

For the first time in the history of the Fifth Republic, a French government has been brought down because of a vote of confidence based on Article 49.1 of the Constitution. On 8 September, the National Assembly refused to give its confidence to Prime Minister François Bayrou's cabinet – a historic turning point in French politics. The Élysée Palace announced that President Emmanuel Macron had ‘taken note’ of the government's failure and would ‘appoint a new prime minister in the coming days’. With strikes and blockades announced for 10 and 18 September, intended in particular to express the French people's dissatisfaction with their purchasing power and further economic cutbacks, the question arises as to how Macron now intends to manoeuvre France out of the political impasse and survive until the 2027 presidential elections.