French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou said on Sunday, August 31, the destiny of France was at stake in a forthcoming confidence vote, which he called to resolve a budget standoff but is expected to lose. Bayrou sat down for an interview with four news channels as the clock ticks down to the September 8 vote in parliament. Opposition parties have already said they will not back his austerity budget. The vote in parliament will not decide "the fate of the prime minister" but "the fate of France," Bayrou said.
He stunned France on Monday by saying he would request the vote in a divided parliament, as he tries to garner enough support for his minority government's plan to slash spending. "The days ahead are crucial," the 74-year-old prime minister said in the interview with broadcasters Franceinfo, LCI, BFMTV and Cnews. He indicated that he was not ready to say "goodbye," as the opposition urged. "If you think that I can give up the battles that I fight, that I am fighting here, that I have been fighting for years and that I will continue to fight in the future, you are mistaken."
Bayrou accused some political forces in France of wanting to sow "chaos," targeting in particular radical-left party leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon. From Monday, Bayrou hopes to hold negotiations with the opposition parties, provided they commit to savings measures to reduce France's debt. Members of the opposition, however, say it is too late.
'Say goodbye'
Earlier Sunday, Socialist leader Olivier Faure said the party's decision to vote against Bayrou's government was final. "The only thing I'm waiting for him to do now is to say goodbye," said Faure, referring to the prime minister.
Bayrou dismissed the Socialist Party's budget proposals. "What the Socialist party is proposing is not to curb spending, but to let spending take off again," he said. Bayrou has said sacrifices must be made to ensure France's future. Bayrou also said he wanted to save about €44 billion ($51 billion), but his plan – which includes reducing the number of holidays and placing a freeze on spending increases – has proved unpopular.
Seven out of 10 French people say they want Bayrou to lose the confidence vote, according to a recent poll. Trade unions have urged French people to stage protests on September 18 over the "horror show" draft budget. Bayrou's gamble has raised fears that France risks a new period of political and financial instability.
Speaking earlier Sunday, Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin called on political forces to find a compromise, saying he was concerned that the legacy of the Fifth Republic's founding father Charles de Gaulle, was at risk. "General De Gaulle's institutions are at stake if we fall back into the instability of the Fourth Republic, where governments came and went, where the authority of the state was not guaranteed, where the administration had no leader," Darmanin said.
A fractured parliament
France has been mired in deadlock ever since Macron gambled on snap elections last summer following far-right gains in European election in the hopes of bolstering his authority.
Voters elected a parliament fractured between three rival blocs, and Macron later acknowledged that his move backfired. Yet he has also said that the French parliament reflects the political divisions among the public. He has urged politicians to find a way to work together, pointing to Germany as an example.