France Faces Nationwide Protests After PM Bayrou Government Collapse

France is experiencing significant political turmoil as President Emmanuel Macron's minority government faces widespread unrest and instability. The government collapsed after Prime Minister François Bayrou lost a confidence vote over a €44 billion austerity plan, leading to his resignation and the appointment of Sébastien Lecornu as the new prime minister. Lecornu inherits a fractured parliament and a fragile minority government amid large-scale protests against austerity measures, with demonstrators clashing with police and thousands detained nationwide. The political crisis is exacerbated by France's high debt-to-GDP ratio and public dissatisfaction with Macron's leadership, which many blame for ignoring the new balance of power in the National Assembly. Calls for nationwide strikes and further demonstrations continue, with Lecornu facing the challenge of navigating budget negotiations and political divisions. Despite the unrest, some daily life traditions, like long lunches in Paris, persist amid the political chaos.