Watch: Macron Faces New Crisis as French PM Bayrou Loses Confidence Vote

PARIS — French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou has lost a parliamentary confidence vote just nine months into his term, plunging President Emmanuel Macron into a new political crisis. The vote, which came after Bayrou warned of the country's "life-threatening" debt, leaves Macron searching for his fifth prime minister in less than two years.

Bayrou's government was defeated in the National Assembly on Monday over its proposed budget, which aimed to slash €44 billion ($52 billion) to tackle the country's rising debt. The budget plan was designed to reduce a deficit that is almost double the European Union's three percent limit and a debt load equivalent to 114 percent of its GDP.

The 74-year-old Prime Minister will tender his resignation on Tuesday, with a new appointment expected in the coming days. This "crushing defeat" for Bayrou is also an embarrassing setback for Macron, as it marks the second time a prime minister has been ousted in a year.

Before the vote, Bayrou had warned lawmakers that rejecting the budget would not erase the country's economic reality, stating that "the burden of debt, already unbearable, will grow heavier and more costly." However, his appeal was rejected by a significant majority, with 364 votes against the government and only 194 in favor.

The political turmoil is escalating, with both far-left and far-right leaders calling for a snap election. Jean-Luc Mélenchon of the hard-left France Unbowed and Marine Le Pen of the far-right have both stated that the government's defeat signals a new phase of political instability.

Experts say Macron's options are now limited and difficult. He must either appoint a new prime minister from the center-right or attempt to reach out to the socialists, which would necessitate budget compromises. The immediate challenge for the next government will be to pass a budget in a highly fractured Parliament, the same hurdle that ended Bayrou's term.

Macron, who has rejected calls to dissolve Parliament, now faces a major domestic battle at a time when he is also leading diplomatic efforts on the Ukraine war. The political crisis is expected to be compounded by social unrest, as trade unions are planning strikes and protests in the coming weeks.