Prime Minister François Bayrou warned that holding sudden new parliamentary elections would not bring peace or stability back to France. His comments came shortly before a confidence vote in parliament, scheduled for September 8, which most experts believe he is likely to lose.
Speaking in an interview with TF1 television, Bayrou explained that he does not think dissolving the National Assembly and rushing into early elections would solve the country’s problems. Instead, he believes it would only create more uncertainty at a time when France already faces deep political and economic challenges.
Bayrou’s minority government has been locked in a long struggle with opposition parties over the national budget. The proposed budget includes about 43.8 billion euros (around 51 billion dollars) in spending cuts. Opposition parties strongly reject these cuts, arguing they are too harsh and unfair. Because both the far-right and the left-wing groups have said they will not support his government, experts say Bayrou has almost no chance of winning the confidence vote unless there is a major shift in political alliances.
In a final attempt to avoid defeat, Bayrou will meet with leaders of other political parties starting Monday to hold emergency talks. He says he is open to negotiations with his opponents, but insists that everyone must first agree on the need to make serious savings.
If Bayrou loses the confidence vote, both he and his government will be forced to step down. At that point, President Emmanuel Macron would face a difficult choice: he could reappoint Bayrou as prime minister, pick a new leader, or dissolve parliament and call for early elections in order to try to end the deadlock that has paralyzed French politics for over a year.
Bayrou also warned about the dangers of political chaos. He said the French economy is getting worse every year and insisted that if leaders fail to act responsibly, it will be the younger generations who suffer the most.
