French President Emmanuel Macron is seeking his fifth prime minister in less than two years after opposition parties united to oust centre-right Prime Minister Francois Bayrou over his unpopular plans for budget tightening.

Bayrou, handed a 364-194 defeat in a parliamentary confidence vote on Monday, will officially hand in his resignation to Macron on Tuesday.

Whoever Macron picks to succeed him will face the near impossible task of uniting parliament and finding ways to get a budget for 2026 adopted.

France is under pressure to lower a deficit that stands at nearly double the European Union's three per cent ceiling, and a debt pile equivalent to 114 per cent of GDP.

Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu's name was among those circulating for the next prime minister, with Macron's other

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