The possibility of French President Emmanuel Macron resigning, once dismissed as implausible, is now openly debated as the Fifth Republic, France's third longest-lasting political regime, struggles to move past a deep political stalemate.

Macron is preparing to name his fifth prime minister in less than two years, with François Bayrou expected to be ousted on Monday over unpopular plans to slash the budget deficit, reports Politico.

But questions remain over whether a new nominee could push through the billions in cuts needed to avoid a debt crisis, or whether new elections would break the impasse. Many observers say neither path is likely to resolve the gridlock.

The Fifth Republic has weathered decades of protests, strikes, and unpopular leaders since its founding nearly 70 years ago. Today, the legislature is deadlocked, budget talks are stalling, markets are uneasy, and warnings of social unrest are mounting.

Bayrou has cautioned that the country risks a Greek-style financial crisis if spending is not curbed.

Far-right National Rally leader Jordan Bardella and far-left firebrand Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who together control a third of the National Assembly, are now openly calling for Macron's departure.

Commentators and some figures on the center-right are also joining the debate. "We're hearing this even from voices close to the Macron camp," said Ipsos pollster Mathieu Gallard. "The discomfort is real."

Still, Macron is seen as unlikely to step aside before his term ends in 2027. A new election would likely produce another hung parliament, with more seats for Marine Le Pen's National Rally, according to surveys.

French constitutional scholar Benjamin Morel said Macron's 2017 rise as a political outsider helped shatter the bipartisan tradition that once ensured stability. "Politicians wrongly believe the myth that the French choose a leader and then hand him a working parliamentary majority to act," he said.

Former AXA chief economist Eric Chaney compared the turmoil to the May 1968 upheaval, while warning of the consequences of ignoring ballooning deficits.

"If people start thinking it's not so bad, we can live with deficits; we are heading toward a full-blown crisis," he said. Germany, he added, could impose conditions if the European Central Bank is called on to help manage French debt.

Macron, 47, has governed as a dominant and divisive figure for eight years, promising to modernize France into a "start-up nation." But divisions across the political spectrum, combined with a public weary of austerity after years of street protests, leave little sign that his government or a successor could bridge the gap.

"We'll carry on deepening the deficit, nothing will happen, and the situation will just get worse," said Gaspard Gantzer, a former adviser to ex-President François Hollande.

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