France may get its fifth prime minister in two years if, as expected, the current one loses a vote of confidence Monday, plunging the country into further political turmoil.
François Bayrou’s proposed budget — which includes $54 billion in spending cuts and removing two public holidays — is deeply unpopular.
He called a confidence vote to boost his legitimacy, but his “mad gamble” hasn’t paid off, Le Monde said: The hard left and hard right will vote to remove him.
France has Europe’s third-highest debt-to-GDP ratio, and economists warn that without cuts, it faces a Greece-style disaster. One French commentator said France is experiencing “a crisis of government and a crisis of society.”