François Bayrou, as expected, lost the confidence vote, with 364 votes against him and 194 in his favour.

The decision deepens a political crisis and hands Macron the task of finding a fifth prime minister in less than two years.

Bayrou, 74, took office as prime minister only nine months ago.

He must now tender his resignation, leaving Macron to face a narrowing set of options, with financial markets signalling worry at France’s political and fiscal crisis.

Bayrou had called the vote unexpectedly to try to strengthen parliamentary support for his strategy to lower a deficit that stands at nearly double the European Union’s 3% ceiling and to start tackling a debt pile equivalent to 114% of GDP.

But opposition parties were in little mood to rally behind his planned savings of 44 billion euros ($51.51 billion) in next year’s budget, with an election for Macron’s successor looming in 2027.

Macron could now nominate a politician from his own centrist minority ruling group or from the ranks of conservatives as the next premier.

He could tack to the left and nominate a moderate socialist or choose a technocrat.

No scenario would be likely to hand the next government a parliamentary majority.

Macron may eventually decide the only path out of the crisis lies in calling a snap election, but he has so far resisted calls from the far-right National Rally and hard-left France Unbowed to dissolve parliament a second time.