Prime minister Francois Bayrou has asked president Emmanuel Macron to convene an extraordinary session of parliament on September 8th for a vote of confidence. On that day the Assemblee nationale will meet, Bayrou will deliver the Declaration de politique generale and MPs will vote on the vote de confiance. The crisis stems from a spiralling budget deficit that seems to demand a tough, unpopular savings budget. A prior government led by Michel Barnier fell in December 2024 over the same budget conundrum. Opposition parties need 289 votes to censure, while a confidence vote requires only a simple majority of those voting.
Prime minister Francois Bayrou faced a situation almost identical to his predecessor Michel Barnier in the autumn of 2024 - France's spiralling budget deficit seemed to demand a tough budget with big savings, but such a budget would prove highly unpopular with opposition politicians, unions and the general public. That conundrum brought down the Barnier government in December of 2024.
A confidence vote is slightly different to the motion de censure (vote de no confidence) that opposition parties can table, which can bring down a government. To censure and topple a government, the opposition needs an absolute majority of 289 out of the 577 members of the Assemblee nationale. To win a confidence vote, the opposition needs a simple majority of those voting on the day a much easier task.
Collection
[
|
...
]