LIVE - Vote of confidence in Bayrou: Macron gives his "total support" to his Prime Minister's "approach"

In a press conference given this Wednesday at the end of the Council of Ministers, Sophie Primas stressed that the vote of confidence called by François Bayrou on September 8 was a "vote of general interest" , adding that Emmanuel Macron gives his "total support" to François Bayrou's "approach." At the same time, he validated it during a private dinner in Brégançon last Thursday. According to Sophie Primas, the President judged that there was "neither denial of reality nor catastrophism" on the part of the executive regarding France's financial situation and called for "responsibility from the parties that wish to be parties of government." "It is a vote on the facts and on principles, it is not a vote on the budget. This then opens up the possibility of negotiations," added the Head of State before his ministers.

Before the more than likely overthrow of François Bayrou on September 8, the political class is well aware that a dissolution in the coming weeks is possible. Everyone is therefore starting to prepare. For "l'Après," the movement created in particular by former rebels Clémentine Autain, Alexis Corbière, and François Ruffin, the risk that looms should push the left to find itself, as it did last year, in the New Popular Front format. In a letter addressed to all other parties - including the LFI - the small movement affirms that "only the united NFP can prevent the victory of the extreme right" in the event of new legislative elections. "There is something surreal, insane, in the face of the institutional crisis and the struggles that are coming, in the face of social needs and emergencies, in the NFP not reacting in a united manner," they regret. They therefore call on all left-wing political forces to come together. "In the event of dissolution, there will only be one left-wing candidate per constituency," they insist.

For the leader of the Ecologists, "there is no suspense about François Bayrou falling on September 8," she predicted in an interview with AFP published this Wednesday. With this in mind, she hopes to work hand in hand with "left-wing and ecologist political parties" so that finally, the "President of the Republic [allows] the winners of last summer's election to govern." Marine Tondelier insists: "We must not give Macron any excuse not to appoint a left-wing Prime Minister." Unlike the rebels, she believes that a potential dissolution would not "really solve the problem," because "it is not the National Assembly that is illegitimate, it is the government." However, if such a measure were announced by the President, the ecologist assures that she wants to return to an NFP coalition in the legislative elections.

While relations between the two parties have been at their most tense for many months now, the interview with the president of the PS group in the Assembly, Boris Vallaud, in Libération is not going to improve things. One of the responses from the Landes MP in particular, it seems, did not please the leaders of the Mélenchonist movement . On X, Manuel Bompard was indeed moved by the fact that the socialist stated that in the event of dissolution, "a programmatic agreement with LFI was not conceivable. For the clarity of the public debate, the PS should state which points of the NFP program it is denying a year later. The repeal of retirement at 64? The reinstatement of the ISF (wealth tax)? Which ones? This would then allow voters to make an informed choice," said the national coordinator of LFI. For Paul Vannier, an unsubmissive deputy from Val d'Oise, the betrayal is such that the "next step for Hollande's party [is] negotiation with Macron to co-manage the chaos in exchange for good positions," he said on X.

On France 2 this Wednesday morning, MEP Place publique lamented François Bayrou's stance, which he called for a vote of confidence even before the budget discussions : "When you don't have a majority, you have to show humility," Raphaël Gluksmann stressed, before calling for negotiations to "achieve something acceptable." In the event of the government falling, the putative presidential candidate is not advocating for another dissolution and assures that the time is for "stability" rather than for "the major transformations desired in the country."

Move along, there's nothing to see here, or almost nothing. While she was scheduled to hold her back-to-school press conference this Wednesday, Elisabeth Borne gave an interview to Le Parisien du matin. And she tried to sidestep questions about the political situation. Anthology: "I'm not in the business of commentary, I'm in the business of action." "Today, my one and only compass is the start of the school year." "My energy is entirely devoted to ensuring that this start of the school year takes place in the best possible conditions." "We'll see what happens." It took two follow-ups before the Minister of National Education spoke directly about François Bayrou, believing that he "raises the question of whether we can at least agree on the risk our country runs of entering a spiral of over-indebtedness and placing our destiny in the hands of international institutions." And that's about it.

Boris Vallaud, president of the Socialist group in the National Assembly, reiterated to Libération his rejection of Bayrou's proposed plan and explained his party's guiding philosophy on the budget, the broad outlines of which will be detailed during the Socialist Party's summer university this weekend. Read below:

As the two-day summer university of the union of heads of large companies opens this Wednesday, its boss, Patrick Martin, is seeking political stability. "The President of the Republic must remain in office [...] we need foundations, we need anchor points, and in this ambient confusion, there must be benchmarks," he declared on the France Info morning show this Wednesday. "International economic competition is almost as fierce as geopolitical competition, so we cannot afford this break," he added. Furthermore, Patrick Martin admitted that the elimination of two public holidays could be "shocking" for employees, but also criticized the hypothetical increase in taxes on businesses and high incomes.

A nod to the socialists. Invited onto the BFMTV-RMC set this Wednesday morning, Catherine Vautrin acknowledged that the budgetary effort "must be made for everyone," and that it is "one of the elements of the copy" of François Bayrou . "But not the only one," she hastened to clarify, while adding that the problem would not be solved solely "with the very high incomes." In these discussions, the minister also assured that she "listened to everyone, including the National Rally."

Prepare for two weeks of slightly outlandish proposals from politicians. This Wednesday morning, we present to you the one from François Ruffin , who, on RTL, has a solution to get out of the crisis: the resignation of Emmanuel Macron. So you'll tell us that the former Insoumis isn't the only one calling for the King's departure. Jean-Luc Mélenchon and Jordan Bardella have already done so before him. The difference is that Ruffin is also proposing the King's return, at least if the French allow it. "Honor would require him to resign and possibly stand before the French people again to reclaim their trust," he proposes. "He has damaged it for years." On France Inter yesterday, Mélenchon also suggested that Macron resign and run again immediately if he so desired. However, a tiny detail that could hamper this project is Article 6 of the Constitution, which states that "no one may serve more than two consecutive terms" as President of the Republic. Some legal experts are arguing over whether this is a two-term term or not. Even before taking over as President of the Constitutional Council, Richard Ferrand had already declared in February that if Macron resigned before the end of his five-year term, he would not be able to run again. Ah, bravo for the legal quibbles.

The former head of government and leader of the Macronist deputies "will do everything to ensure that François Bayrou remains Prime Minister," he assured this Wednesday morning on France Inter , and does not want another dissolution if he does not obtain confidence on September 8 because "it is not up to the French to resolve the problems of the National Assembly." If the Bayrou government falls, Gabriel Attal "does not believe that another dissolution would bring stability." Saying he is opposed to the elimination of the two public holidays without salary compensation, he did not answer whether he was ready to make a concession on the taxation of the wealthiest with regard to the left. "We will propose alternatives. But for that, there still needs to be a government," he evaded.

If, as is currently the most likely scenario, François Bayrou falls on September 8, what will Emmanuel Macron do? Relaunch the search for a new Prime Minister and a government, for the fourth time in just over a year? Pronounce a new dissolution, which risks giving birth to an equally divided National Assembly? Or even resign? "I'm not sweeping anything aside, everything is possible, I don't want to make political fiction," Sophie Primas, the government spokesperson, replied on TF1 this Wednesday morning. "The situation is leading to concern," she then acknowledged.

Elisabeth Borne is holding her press conference on Wednesday to launch the school year , in an uncertain political and budgetary context following François Bayrou's decision to seek the confidence of the National Assembly. After convening the rectors on Tuesday, and before the teachers' pre-back-to-school meeting on Friday, the minister, who has been in office for eight months, will kick off the return to school for some 12 million students on September 1.

Members of the executive branch will meet at the Élysée Palace at 10 a.m. this Wednesday, alongside President Emmanuel Macron, who has just returned from his summer residence in Brégançon. Less than two weeks away from a confidence vote that will be a moment of reckoning. For François Bayrou to request the Assembly's vote of confidence, a deliberation by the Council of Ministers is required. The head of state must also convene an extraordinary session of Parliament. Government spokesperson Sophie Primas will hold her traditional press conference late in the morning following the Council meeting.

François Bayrou will be a guest on TF1's 8 p.m. news this Wednesday evening, primarily to discuss the confidence vote in the National Assembly he called for September 8, the channel announced Tuesday evening. The Prime Minister, who announced Monday his intention to hold his government accountable before Parliament to overcome the numerous opposition to his budget-cutting plan, reaffirmed in an interview with L'Express Tuesday that he will "fight like a dog" to obtain a majority.