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 .

Macron may well continue to leave his mark on French foreign poli

See Full Page