close
Friday February 07, 2025

French PM survives first no-confidence vote

By AFP
January 17, 2025
French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou and Minister for Overseas Territories Manuel Valls attend a debate on a motion of no-confidence against the French government in Paris, France, January 16, 2025. — Reuters
French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou and Minister for Overseas Territories Manuel Valls attend a debate on a motion of no-confidence against the French government in Paris, France, January 16, 2025. — Reuters

PARIS: French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou on Thursday survived his first vote of no confidence in parliament after the motion, brought by the leftist opposition, failed to gain traction on the far right.

The challenge in the National Assembly came after Bayrou’s statement this week on his government policy agenda, in which he opened the door to fresh talks on a 2023 pension reform “without taboo” but also said that France’s “excessive” deficits needed to be cut in this year’s budget.

The no-confidence motion won the backing of 131 deputies, well short of the 288 it needed to pass.