France's parliament – deadlocked for a year and more poisonously divided than it has been in decades – looks set to throw out yet another prime minister on Monday.
But the acute sense of drama surrounding this latest vote of confidence inside Paris's Assemblée Nationale is counterbalanced by a despondent consensus that the almost inevitable removal of 74-year-old François Bayrou, after nine relatively ineffectual months in office, will do nothing to break France's political stalemate.
It's a disaster. The situation is absolutely blocked, veteran political commentator Bruno Cautrès told the BBC.
Others have been even harsher in their diagnosis.
Marine Le Pen, parliamentary leader of the hard-right National Rally party, accused Bayrou of committing political suicide.
The prime minister initiated Monday's surprise vote himself, seeking to shock politicians into agreeing on a way to tackle the country's looming debt crisis.
Describing France's spiralling national debt as a terribly dangerous period… a time of hesitation and turmoil, Bayrou warned there was a high risk of disorder and chaos if parliament failed to back his austerity budget with its aim to slash government spending by €44bn (£38bn).
Bayrou says young people will be saddled with years of debt payments for the sake of the comfort of boomers, if France fails to tackle a national debt of 114% of its annual economic output.
But Bayrou's gamble looks almost certain to end in failure later on Monday as he simply doesn't have the votes.
At the heart of this crisis is President Emmanuel Macron's widely derided decision in June 2024 to call a snap parliamentary election to clarify the balance of power. Instead of clarity, the election resulted in a deeply divided parliament, rendering many rival MPs unable to cooperate effectively.
Far from the power struggles in Paris, the public mood appears to be shifting towards the right. National Rally's Jordan Bardella is gaining popularity as citizens express frustration with high taxes and economic challenges.
France is struggling... and prices keep rising, says a local supporter. Bardella vows to address these issues, including implementing a referendum on immigration if his party comes to power.
Meanwhile, speculation rises about President Macron's next steps. Will he initiate another snap election, or attempt to forge a functioning minority government? With protests looming and growing public discontent, the political landscape in France remains precarious.
In light of these developments, a grassroots movement known as Let's Block Everything has called for a nationwide strike, reflecting the rising tide of frustration among citizens. Political analysts urge Macron to directly address the concerns of the French populace to avert a deepening crisis.
