French PM Bayrou survives third no-confidence vote after 2025 budget rift

François Bayrou remains French Prime Minister after surviving a no-confidence vote, ensuring the adoption of the contentious 2025 budget plan.

Transcript

00:00French Prime Minister François Bayrou survived two no-confidence votes on Wednesday evening

00:06and ensured the adoption of the country's long-overdue state budget plan.

00:11The vote came after Bayrou used a controversial constitutional tool

00:15to force the contentious budget plan through Parliament on Monday.

00:19The two no-confidence motions on Wednesday were tabled by the hard-left France Unbowed Party

00:24but did not garner enough votes to bring down the government.

00:28That's because the far-right as well as the Socialist Party,

00:33the official allies of the France Unbowed, decided to abstain from voting,

00:38provoking anger and an implied exclusion of the centre-left party from the left-wing coalition.

00:58But the leader of the Socialists defended his party's decision.

01:29No more hiring, no more investing, no more projects.

01:31It's not possible.

01:32We can't have a country that for the next three months

01:35is still wondering what its government is, what its budget is.

01:42Although the unsuccessful no-confidence motions give Bayrou's minority government some breathing room,

01:48the coming months will likely be turbulent.

01:51The Socialist Party announced on Wednesday they will be tabling a no-confidence vote on February 19th.

01:58We call on this platform to continue to make additional contributions.