Bayrou's tenure as PM was the fourth shortest of France's Fifth Republic

Lasting just under nine months in office, François Bayrou was the third consecutive French prime minister to stay in office less than a year. On Monday, September 8, the centrist failed was forced to hand in his resignation after losing a vote of confidence he had called himself ahead of discussions on the 2026 budget.

Bayrou was appointed prime minister on December 13, 2024, after his predecessor, Michel Barnier, who holds the record for the shortest government of the Fifth Republic, was ousted. Bayrou had managed to secure belated approval for the 2025 budget in February, and avoided being ousted by a no-confidence motion through a deal with the Socialists and the far-right Rassemblement National party. However, he ultimately faced opposition from both of these political forces, who rejected his plan for €44 billion in budget cuts.

After eight months and 26 days in office, the Bayrou government has become the fourth-shortest in the history of the Fifth Republic. Georges Pompidou, who served as prime minister for more than six years, remains the longest-serving head of government. After losing a no-confidence motion in October 1962, Pompidou stayed on in a caretaker capacity, managing the country's day-to-day affairs until new parliamentary elections were held. After winning those elections comfortably, he was reappointed as prime minister and remained in office until 1968.

François Bayrou was the fourth shortest-lived prime minister of the Fifth Republic

This graph depicts the duration of every government since the Fifth Republic began in 1958, as well as the prime minister's political orientation.

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The durations of successive governments have been added together, except for Jacques Chirac, who served as prime minister under two presidents (Valéry Giscard d'Estaing and François Mitterrand).

Source: French government