Three prime ministers gone in three days: Global shakeup in Japan, France, Nepal

The cascade began in Tokyo, where Shigeru Ishiba stepped down on September 7 after his party suffered a stinging electoral defeat in July, ending his tenure before it had reached a full year.

A day later in Paris, lawmakers voted no confidence in Prime Minister François Bayrou, a centrist ally of President Emmanuel Macron. Observers see his ouster as a reflection of mounting frustrations with Macron’s turbulent presidency.

By September 9, the unrest had reached Kathmandu, where days of mass demonstrations over corruption and a government ban on social media platforms culminated in the resignation of Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli.

Here’s what you need to know about this rapid succession of departures sweeping through Europe and Asia.

Ishiba resigns after devastating loss in Japan elections

Politics were a crucial factor behind the resignation of Shigeru Ishiba, Japan’s prime minister since October 2024 and the leader of the Liberal Democratic Party, a dominant force in Japanese politics that recently suffered a bruising defeat in the July elections.

Having ruled Japan for all but five of the last 70 years, the Liberal Democrats surprised many when they lost 19 of 66 seats up for re-election in July. This, on top of an earlier hit to their majority in October 2024, weakened the party’s hold on government.

Ishiba said he felt “a great sense of regret” over the election results, adding he was ready to “pass the baton to the next generation.”

Beyond electoral setbacks, he faced headwinds from rising inflation, a fraught trade relationship with the United States, and a growing anti-foreigner sentiment among the public.

Likely contenders to succeed him include veteran politician Sanae Takaichi, an advocate of economic opening and looser fiscal and monetary policy, and Shinjiro Koizumi, the farm minister.

Despite losing ground, the Liberal Democratic Party remains the largest bloc in the lower house.

France’s Bayrou loses confidence vote

François Bayrou’s tenure as French premier ended after just nine months, when lawmakers passed a no-confidence vote. His removal — the fourth change of prime minister in just two years — pushes France into yet another period of political volatility.

In part, Bayrou’s removal is tethered to the elections, too. President Emmanuel Macron in 2024 called a snap parliamentary election in hopes of securing a “clear majority” after a defeat for his party. Instead, the vote left parliament even more divided, making it harder for any prime minister to garner the numbers needed to pass legislation or budgets.

Bayrou more directly stumbled over his response to France’s mounting debt crisis. Public debt has climbed to 114% of GDP as of early 2025. His proposal for a €44 billion ($51 billion) budget cut ran into fierce opposition, especially from the left, which called instead for higher taxes.

With Bayrou out, Macron must now either appoint a new premier or dissolve the National Assembly and call new parliamentary elections.

Possible contenders for the premiership include Socialist Party leader Olivier Faure, former premier Bernard Cazeneuve, ex-minister Pierre Moscovici, Defence Minister Sébastien Lecornu and Labour and Health Minister Catherine Vautrin. Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau and Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin are also in the frame.

Though unlikely, some critics have even called for Macron himself to resign.

Protests over corruption, social media ban force Oli out

Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli was forced to step down after a wave of anti-corruption protests left 19 people dead and more than 100 injured, with tens of thousands of demonstrators defying curfews and setting fire to parliament and other government buildings.

“In view of the adverse situation in the country, I have resigned effective today to facilitate the solution to the problem and to help resolve it politically in accordance with the constitution,” Oli wrote in his resignation letter to President Ramchandra Paudel on Tuesday. His administration was blamed for presiding over Nepal’s bloodiest unrest in more than a decade.

The demonstrations — dubbed the “protest of Gen Z” — began after the government blocked Facebook, X and YouTube, citing the companies’ refusal to register with regulators. The ban reignited frustrations over corruption and inequality, particularly among young Nepalis angered at the privileges enjoyed by the children of political elites while most struggle to find work.

Even after the government reversed the ban, protests spread from Kathmandu to cities across the country. Demonstrators torched tyres, ransacked politicians’ homes and set fire to the Singha Durbar government complex, which houses parliament and several ministries.

The turmoil marked Nepal’s most serious upheaval since 2008, when mass protests toppled the monarchy. Despite democratic reforms, the country of 30 million has struggled with weak governance, endemic corruption and an economy that forces more than 2,000 young people to leave daily in search of work abroad.

Oli, 73, had been in office since July 2024, serving his fourth term and becoming the 14th prime minister in the post-monarchy era. Two cabinet ministers resigned on Monday, citing “moral grounds.”

As protests spread, military helicopters evacuated ministers from their homes, while social media footage showed senior officials, including former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, attacked by crowds before soldiers intervened.

Paudel and army chief Ashok Raj Sigdel have both appealed for calm, while the United Nations and press freedom groups urged protesters not to target journalists or media outlets. 

Looking ahead, one figure gaining traction among demonstrators is Balendra Shah, 35, a former rapper and composer whose outsider image helped propel him to the Kathmandu mayoralty in 2022 after a campaign centred on cleaning up the capital.