French President Emmanuel Macron is looking for his fifth prime minister in less than two years after opposition parties unite to overthrow Prime Minister Francois Bayrou over plans to tighten the unpopular budget.
Bayrou's nine-month term ends Monday evening when he loses in a motion of not believing parliament.
Reported by Reuters on Tuesday afternoon, he submitted his resignation to Macron, according to the government's website.
Bayrou and his government will remain interim officials until a new government is formed.
Whoever Macron chooses to replace him will face an almost impossible task, which is to unite parliament to pass next year's budget.
France is under pressure to lower its deficit by almost double the European Union's 3% limit, and debt piles equivalent to 114% of GDP.
The name of Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu is among the names circulating for the next prime ministerial candidate, with Macron also potentially considering someone from the left-middle wing or a technocrat.
There are no rules governing who the president should vote for, or how quickly, although a government source said Macron, who has been in office since 2017, may appoint his new prime minister on Tuesday night.
Jordan Bardella, president of the extreme far-right National Rally (RN) party, is the most popular choice for the next French prime minister, according to an RTL poll published on Tuesday, September 9.
About 43% of respondents wanted him to get the job, while the leaders of RN, Marine Le Pen, and conservative Interior Minister, Bruno Retailleau, each received 36% positive responses.
RN urged Macron to resign or hold an impromptu legislative election.
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Polls show the majority of voters will welcome the two results, even though Macron has ruled out his resignation.
His decision to hold impromptu elections last year resulted in a fragmented parliament making it difficult for the basic government.
The Socialist Party said it was now their turn to try.
"We need to claim power," the chairman of the Socialist Party, Olivier Faure, told France Inter radio.
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