French Socialist Party threatens no-confidence vote against Bayrou’s government

Olivier Faure, First Secretary of the French Socialist Party, talks to journalists next to members of parliament at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, on 10 December 2024.

The French Socialist Party, whose support Francois Bayrou's minority government has been trying to secure for weeks, raised the threat of backing a no-confidence vote against the government later this week.

The Socialists, who voted down previous budget proposals in December in conjunction with far-right lawmakers and thereby precipitated the fall of Michel Barnier's government, have made concessions on the 2023 pension reform a condition for support.

During a speech to Parliament on Tuesday, Francois Bayrou opened the door to renegotiating the disputed pension reform.

Bayrou resolved to revisit it announcing a "conclave" of three months of renegotiation "without any taboos" regarding the retirement age of 64.

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However, the Socialists are asking him to go further to avoid censorship.

"It's an achievement," said Olivier Faure, the leader of the Socialist Party, who had negotiated with the Prime Minister, speaking on TF1's evening news bulletin on Tuesday.

But "it’s not enough," he added, rejecting the idea that, in the absence of an agreement between social partners, the "controversial" 2023 law would be reinstated.

"We will back a no-confidence vote, unless we get a clear response to our demands," he said.

(With newswires)


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