France’s prime minister, Francois Bayrou, said on Monday that his government would request a vote of trust on September 8, seeking parliamentary support for his battle against the elevation of public debt.
The national leader of the extreme right (RN), Jordan Bardella, said immediately that his party would not support Bayrou’s planned cuts, suggesting that the minority government could face the defeat in the vote.
Bayrou said at a press conference that the National Assembly would be asked to “confirm the scale” of expense reductions, since the government seeks to save around 44 billion euros ($ 51 billion) a year.
“I have asked the president, who agreed, to convene an extraordinary session of Parliament on Monday, September 8,” Bayrou told journalists.
Bayrou does not have the majority in the lower house of Parliament, the National Assembly and the next vote underlines the fragility of its position.
Bayrou said France was going through a “decisive moment.”
“If you have a majority, the government is confirmed. If you don’t have the majority, the government falls,” Bayroun added.
Both the France of the Hard Left (LFI) and the RN of the extreme right of Bardella said they would use the vote to try to expel the centrist government.
“Francois Bayrou has just announced the end of his government, undermined by his complacency inaction,” Bardella said in a publication on social networks.
“The RN will never vote in favor of a government whose elections cause suffering to the French people. Our fellow citizens are waiting for a change and a return to the polls: we are ready.”
In mid -July, Bayrou presented budget proposals of 2026, saying that he wanted to reduce the number of holidays in France as part of an attempt to address what he called the “curse” of the country’s debt.
After years of excessive spending, France is notified to control its public deficit and reduce its expanding debt, as required according to the EU rules.
