French Prime Minister François Bayrou now has seven days before the confidence vote, which is widely expected to force his resignation, on Monday, September 8. Ahead of this looming deadline, Bayrou has begun what Socialist leader Olivier Faure mockingly called a "farewell tour." Starting Monday, September 1, he will meet with the political parties represented in Parliament at the prime minister's residence for a series of discussions.
Meanwhile, the prime minister has continued to stage a major communications campaign, hoping for a last-minute turnaround in his favor. Opposition parties, from the far-right Rassemblement National (RN) to the left wing, have pledged to vote against him and deliver a resounding defeat. "There is no suspense," said Faure on Sunday, August 31, on French television, maintaining that the Socialists' decision was "irrevocable."
In addition to this impending rejection, Bayrou is facing a record-low approval rating that is unprecedented for a prime minister under France's Fifth Republic, undermining his credibility with the public. Yet the centrist seemed detached from this reality. "I am absolutely convinced that things can change. How? If, in the coming week, the French people say: 'But all this is mad!'" he said on Sunday during appearances on France's four major news channels (LCI, Franceinfo, BFM-TV and CNews).
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