Bayrou quits as French PM; Macron seeks successor

Prime Minister Francois Bayrou submitted his resignation to President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday after France’s parliament ousted the government, with the French leader under pressure to find a successor in a deepening political crisis.

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On Monday, Bayrou suffered a crushing loss in a confidence vote he had himself called, plunging France into fresh uncertainty and leaving Macron with the task of finding the seventh premier of his mandate. The French president’s office said in a statement that Macron "took note” of the outcome and would name a new premier "in the next days", ending any remaining speculation that the president could instead call snap elections.

Bayrou was seen by AFP correspondents arriving at the Elysee Palace to hand in his resignation and then leaving just over an hour later. A source close to Bayrou, asking not to be named, confirmed he had submitted his resignation to Macron. Bayrou remains in charge on a caretaker basis until a successor is named. The French president has in the past been notoriously slow in "casting" a new prime minister.