France's government expected to survive as far-right leader doesn’t support no-confidence motion
The head of France’s far-right National Rally party said Tuesday he doesn’t support a no-confidence motion filed against the government, making it more likely that the prime minister will remain in office and a 2025 budget will be adopted.
A no-confidence vote is scheduled Wednesday in the National Assembly and needs at least half the 577 votes to pass. Hard-left France Unbowed, Communist and Green lawmakers are expected to vote in favor but don't have the numbers on their own to bring down the centrist government.
Jordan Bardella, president of the National Rally, the biggest group in the National Assembly, said "in the current period, the French ... would not benefit from a new period of instability.”
The leftist Socialist party said earlier it wouldn’t back the no-confidence motion because “it’s time to give France a budget.”
On Monday, Prime Minister François Bayrou used special constitutional powers to get the 2025 budget approved without a vote by lawmakers.
Under France's Constitution, the budget will automatically be considered as adopted if the no-confidence motion is rejected.
In December, a similar no-confidence motion triggered by budget disputes forced Prime Minister Michel Barnier to resign after only three months in office.
This time, Bayrou sought more stability for his minority government through intense negotiations with the Socialists aimed at reaching a non-aggression deal.
Bayrou agreed to provide more money for public hospitals and committed not to cut 4,000 jobs in national education. He also said last month that he was open to renegotiating a contested plan raising the retirement age from 62 to 64.
The revised plans for the budget aim to limit France’s deficit to 5.4% of gross domestic product this year.
French politics have been in disarray since President Emmanuel Macron called snap elections last year that left no party with a majority in parliament.
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