France's embattled Prime Minister Francois Bayrou said Monday his government would request a vote of confidence on 8 September, seeking parliamentary backing for his fight against soaring public debt.
With his announcement, Bayrou is seeking a vote on his government’s fate before the opposition calls a no-confidence vote.
Bayrou said on Monday the National Assembly would be asked to "confirm the scale" of spending reductions, as the government seeks to save around €44 billion a year.
"I have asked the president, who has agreed, to convene an extraordinary session of parliament on Monday, September 8," Bayrou told reporters.
Bayrou does not have a majority in parliament's lower house, the National Assembly, and the upcoming vote underscores the fragility of his position.
Decisive moment
Bayrou said France was going through a "decisive moment.
"We face an immediate danger, which we must tackle ... otherwise we have no future," Bayrou told a news conference about the debt burden. "Our country is in danger.
"If you have a majority, the government is confirmed. If you do not have a majority, the government falls," Bayrou added.
Both the hard-left France Unbowed (LFI) and the far-right National Rally (RN) said they would use the vote to try to oust the centrist government.
Far-right RN leader Jordan Bardella immediately said his party would not back Bayrou's planned cuts, suggesting the minority government could face defeat in the vote.
"Francois Bayrou has just announced the end of his government, undermined by its complacent inaction," Bardella said, in a social media post.
"The RN will never vote in favour of a government whose choices cause suffering to the French people. Our fellow citizens are waiting for a change and a return to the ballot box: we are ready."
French PM unveils radical plan to tackle ‘deadly danger’ of national debt
In mid-July, Bayrou presented 2026 budget proposals, saying he wanted to reduce the number of public holidays in France as part of a bid to tackle what he called the "curse" of the country's debt.
After years of overspending, France is on notice to tame a budget deficit that hit 5.8 percent of gross domestic product last year, nearly double the official EU limit of 3 percent.
Bayrou’s efforts at belt-tightening have come under fire from both the left and the right, meaning that he faced the risk of a no-confidence vote like the one that toppled his predecessor, Michel Barnier, in late 2024 after just three months in office.
The confidence vote will take place just two days before planned protests, which have been called for on social media and backed by leftist parties and some unions.
Movement calls for September shutdown across France to protest budget cuts
The 10 September call for general protests has drawn comparisons to the Yellow Vest protests that erupted in 2018 over fuel price hikes and the high cost of living.
Before that, taxi drivers are expected to restart demonstrations on 5 September against the government’s plans to overhaul compensation for medical trips.
(With newswires)
