French PM Bayrou Faces Confidence Vote Amidst Opposition Defiance

Sat Sep 13 2025 11:03:28 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

Prime Minister François Bayrou is under pressure as opposition parties announce their refusal to support him in a crucial vote of confidence amidst proposed budget cuts and rising protests in France.

In a bid to avert a financial crisis, French Prime Minister François Bayrou has called for a vote of confidence as he faces stiff opposition from various political factions. With deep budget cuts on the line, the upcoming vote has prompted a wave of protests, leaving Bayrou's administration on shaky ground. Opposition leaders have expressed their clear intention to vote against him, intensifying the political drama in France.

French Prime Minister François Bayrou has said parliament has 13 days to choose between chaos or responsibility, after calling a vote of confidence on plans for deep budget cuts.

Bayrou, who has led a minority government since last December, said in an interview he would fight like a dog to win the 8 September vote. Yes, it's risky, but it's even riskier not to do anything, he said, in the face of France's mounting budget deficit.

Opposition parties have lined up to say they will vote against him, from the National Rally on the right to the Socialists, Greens and France Unbowed on the left.

The vote comes two days before protests are due to take place in France to block everything.

The Bloquons tout movement, which began on social media but has since been backed by unions and the far left, emerged after Bayrou announced plans in July for almost €44bn (£38bn) in budget cuts.

Reacting to news of the vote, which Bayrou seems all but certain to lose, France's CAC-40 share index fell 1.59% on Monday and then a further 1.5% on Tuesday.

Finance Minister Eric Lombard said on Tuesday that collectively we have to find a way to prepare a budget for recovery for 2026.

Last year's budget deficit hit 5.8% of France's economic output (GDP) and Bayrou said on Monday that France was in danger and that parliament would be asked to choose the path that allows us to escape from this curse [of indebtedness].

In further remarks at a union event the next day, he said the French people would have the chance to influence their MPs to choose and say whether they are on the side of chaos or the side of conscience and responsibility.

Bayrou was appointed prime minister by President Emmanuel Macron after Michel Barnier's government collapsed in a confidence vote on spending cuts last December.

The outlook for Bayrou and his fragile government looks bleak, as they do not have sufficient support in the National Assembly. Leaders of the far-right National Rally party made clear that they would not vote for him.

French political leaders are asserting that irresponsibility in governance can lead the country into a major economic crisis if Bayrou's proposed budget is not reevaluated.