Vote of confidence: François Bayrou and France are “now facing the abyss”
At a press conference on Monday, August 25, François Bayrou announced his intention to submit to a vote of confidence in the National Assembly on September 8. While left-wing and far-right forces immediately confirmed that they would not support him, this “kamikaze” decision did not fail to provoke a reaction from the foreign press.
In order to bring “clarification” to the political debate in the run-up to parliamentary discussions on the 2026 public finance bill, Prime Minister François Bayrou expressed his wish, on Monday, August 25, during a press conference held at the Hôtel Matignon on Avenue de Ségur in Paris, to submit to a vote of confidence from the National Assembly.
Through Article 49-1 of the Constitution, the head of government will make a general policy statement before the Chamber on Monday, September 8. This will be followed by a vote of confidence. However, for the time being, all opposition political forces—all the New Popular Front groups, as well as members of the National Rally and the Union of the Right for the Republic—have announced that they will not support the Prime Minister. In this case, François Bayrou would be forced to submit his government's resignation to the President of the Republic. A highly plausible scenario that has sparked numerous reactions from the foreign press.
- View from the UK – “Even more uncertainty”
François Bayrou risks leaving by clinging to his “unpopular roadmap to redress France’s finances,” observes The Guardian . For the newspaper
Courrier International
