France is no stranger to popular rebellion, street revolt or political theatre. But seldom in modern times has the country experienced a week of politics as chaotic, farcical and unseemly. In the space of 24 hours, from October 5th, France gained a new government, lost a new prime minister, lost a new defence minister, then found itself with the same prime minister back at work (in a caretaker role) trying to break the political deadlock in the country’s divided parliament. Almost overnight, the messy politics of the past year morphed into a full-blown political crisis, unnerving markets and threatening to leave France without a budget for 2026.