PARIS, FRANCE - OCT. 9, 2025: Health and social care workers held a protest outside the French Ministry of Health in Paris on Thursday, Oct. 9, calling for better pay, increased staffing, and stronger support for public hospitals.

France experiences widespread nationwide strikes as trade unions continue to pressure the government to reverse austerity measures.

Teachers, transport workers, hospital staff, and other public sector employees have walked out in protest across the country.

The country is once again plunged into political turbulence. Barely a month after his appointment, Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu has resigned, sending shockwaves through Paris and deepening questions over the future of the country’s political landscape.

Lecornu, appointed after Francois Bayrou lost a confidence vote in the National Assembly on Sept. 8, had been tasked with restoring stability and steering France’s debt-laden economy.

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

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

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


Reporting by Mohamad Salaheldin Abdelg Alsayed / Writing by Ayse Elif Erdis