Opposition submits motion to impeach French President Macron

Jean-Luc Melenchon, a leader of the far-left France Unbowed (LFI) party, said Saturday that the opposition has filed a motion in Parliament calling for the impeachment of President Emmanuel Macron.

"He has to go," Melenchon told a news conference in the northern city of Lille.

On the situation in Gaza, Melenchon said if his party members were in power, the French Navy would have been escorting the Global Sumud Flotilla vessels carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza.

He also said the government of Prime Minister Francois Bayrou would fall in a confidence vote on Monday, calling this possibility "a victory of the people."

France is facing mounting political tensions as Bayrou prepares for the crucial confidence vote in the National Assembly.

Bayrou, who unveiled a 2026 budget framework in July, is seeking support for a plan to save nearly €44 billion ($51 billion) as part of efforts to reduce France's soaring public debt, now at 113% of its GDP.

France also has one of the EU's largest budget deficits at 5.8%.

Warning that the country is "on the brink of over-indebtedness," Bayrou urged lawmakers to choose "responsibility over chaos."

Opposition parties across the spectrum, from the far-left LFI to the far-right National Rally (RN), as well as the Socialists, have vowed to vote against the government.

Budget negotiations have been a major source of tension in French politics.

The failure to reach an agreement on the 2025 budget last year led to the collapse of the Michel Barnier government in December, after left-wing and far-right parties united behind a no-confidence motion.