WEB DESK
French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou survived his first no-confidence vote in parliament as the motion, brought by the leftist opposition, failed to gain support from the far right. The challenge in the National Assembly followed Bayrou’s statement this week, in which he called for open talks on 2023 pension reform and stressed the need to reduce France’s excessive deficits in this year’s budget.
The speech drew criticism from much of the opposition in parliament, where Bayrou lacks an absolute majority. This leaves his government vulnerable to no-confidence votes, which could force it to resign if passed. The no-confidence motion secured the backing of 131 deputies, well short of the 288 needed to pass.