Bayrou seeks confidence vote on government for September 8

(Patria) - French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou will seek a parliamentary vote of confidence on his government for September 8 due to unpopular plans to consolidate French public finances.

Bayrou's move will reveal whether he has enough support in a divided parliament for his proposed budget savings of 44 billion euros as he tries to tame a budget deficit that reached 5.8 percent of gross domestic product last year, almost double the official EU limit of three percent.

If he loses the confidence vote, Bayrou's minority government will fall.

- We are facing an immediate danger that we must confront... Otherwise, we have no future. Our country is in danger - Bayrou told a press conference about the burden of debt.

His belt-tightening efforts have been criticized from both the left and the right. He risks a vote of no confidence like his predecessor Michel Barnier at the end of 2024 after only three months in office.

The confidence vote will be held just two days before planned protests called for on social media, supported by left-wing parties and some trade unions.

The call for general protests on September 10 has drawn comparisons to the "yellow vest" protests that erupted in 2018 over rising fuel prices and the high cost of living.

Taxi drivers are also expected to protest again on September 5 against government plans to revise medical travel reimbursements.

The "yellow vest" protests turned into a broader movement against President Emmanuel Macron and his efforts to implement economic reforms.

Bayrou proposed abolishing two public holidays and freezing social protection and tax bracket costs in 2026 at 2025 levels, without adjusting for inflation.