French PM calls confidence vote on Sept 8 over budget cut plan

PARIS - French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou announced on Monday that he has requested a confidence vote in the National Assembly for Sept 8 over his 44-billion-euro (51 billion US dollars) budget cut plan.

Speaking at a press conference, Bayrou warned that France was on the verge of over-indebtedness.

"An immediate danger weighs upon us, which we must face, not tomorrow, but today, without delay of any kind; otherwise the future will be closed to us," he said.

According to Bayrou, who heads a minority government, by seeking the Assembly's confidence, deputies would grasp "the seriousness of the situation".

The outcome of the vote would determine whether Bayrou's minority government could stay in power.

Soon after Bayrou's announcement, both France's hard-left party La France Insoumise (LFI) and far-right party National Rally (RN) said they would not vote in favor of the government.

Other parties, including the Socialist Party (PS) and the Green Party, also said they would not support Bayrou's government.

In July, Bayrou revealed his budget draft for 2026 and sought to save 44 billion euros per year in government spending.