London: An outcry over an “austerity” budget has thrown the French government into crisis after the national assembly voted the prime minister out of office with no obvious successor and no coalition with a clear majority to restore stability.

French President Emmanuel Macron will be forced to appoint a new prime minister within days to counter demands for his resignation and national elections, as parties on the left and right manoeuvre to replace him.

Now-ousted French prime minister François Bayrou with President Emmanuel Macron in April. Credit: AP

The national assembly has dismissed five prime ministers in two years and appears unlikely to agree on Macron’s next choice, signalling more upheaval before the presidential election due in April 2027.

The far-right National Rally,

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