MACRON TELLS MINISTERS TO SUPPORT BAYROU- Opposition parties plan to bring down the minority government
French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou joined a cabinet meeting at the Elysee Palace on Wednesday (September 3) where President Emmanuel Macron asked the ministers to gather support ahead of a confidence vote in parliament, the government’s spokeswoman said.
Opposition parties in France have said they will bring down the minority government in a confidence vote scheduled on Monday (September 8).
Bayrou began a series of talks this week with opposition parties, including the far-right’s Marine Le Pen, to try to prevent the government’s fall.
Bayrou’s government had sought to cut the budget deficit to 4.6% of gross domestic product next year from 5.4% this year, with a savings drive worth nearly 44 billion euros ($52 billion) that opposition parties have rejected.
French Finance Minister Eric Lombard said the government would have to compromise on plans to cut the budget deficit if Bayrou is toppled in the September 8 vote, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday.
If Bayrou does lose next week’s vote, Macron can appoint a new prime minister immediately, ask Bayrou to stay on in a caretaker capacity for some time, or decide to call snap parliamentary elections. Last month, before Bayrou announced his confidence vote, Macron ruled out early elections.
