France was thrown into further political chaos this week by the ousting of yet another prime minister after continued budget deadlock.

Prime Minister Francois Bayrou and his centrist minority government lost a confidence vote Monday, with a total of 364 lawmakers voting against the government and only 194 in favor.

The latest government collapse was widely expected after Bayrou failed to win support from political rivals for 2026 budget plans aimed at reducing the country's yawning budget deficit amounting to 5.8% of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2024.

Bayrou's government was targeting around 44 billion euros ($52 billion) in cuts in next year's budget to get the deficit down to 4.6% of GDP in 2026.

France's financial markets reacted calmly to the latest political upheaval, with the

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