The brief and unremarkable tenure of France’s prime minister has come crashing to an end. The 74-year-old François Bayrou resigns on Tuesday after choosing to gamble his political survival on a confidence vote a day earlier—and losing it by a huge margin.

France is now in the throes of a spiraling political crisis. The National Assembly lacks a clear governing majority and Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally (RN) seems ever closer to finally winning power. Bayrou deserves a share of the blame, as his attempts to muster support for €44 billion in drastic spending cuts were doomed from the outset. And yet, there’s no doubt who the true architect of France’s political impasse is: President Emmanuel Macron.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Macron may well continue to leave his mark on French foreign policy, benefitting from norms that give presidents broad leeway on the international stage. But on the domestic front, Macron increasingly resembles a lame duck. And with his second and final term set to expire in 2027, a disappointing legacy is starting to take shape: while Macron soared into office on pledges to revitalize French democracy and tamper support for the far-right, he is failing badly on both counts.

Today’s gridlock is a direct consequence of Macron’s actions. His call for snap elections last June resulted in the loss of his Renaissance party’s parliamentary majority and a fiercely divided National Assembly. But there is also a deeper democratic malaise driven by his reluctance to heed the message delivered at the ballot box.........

© Time