"A first victory," "devastating budget": the left calls for François Bayrou to be "brought down" during the confidence vote

Will Prime Minister François Bayrou still be in office on September 8th? Nothing is less certain, following the announcement of a vote of confidence by the National Assembly, which commits his government to responsibility. This announcement was made during his back-to-school press conference on Monday, August 25th.

Since the head of government does not have an absolute majority, the Prime Minister is on an ejection seat because if he does not obtain the confidence of a majority of deputies, then he will be forced to resign.

For La France Insoumise, this is "a first victory for the power of the mobilization being prepared for September 10," according to the party's national coordinator, Manuel Bompard. He is referring to the "Block Everything" movement, which emerged on social media and called for a mobilization on September 10.

"Now, everyone is up against the wall and must take a clear position. The rebellious parliamentarians will vote on September 8 to bring down the government," announced Manuel Bompard.

Party founder Jean-Luc Mélenchon is pleased that "the current popular mobilization will have won." "And the rebels will be proud to have made a useful contribution," he wrote on his social media.

Still on the LFI side, Paul Vannier believes that François Bayrou is "forced to request a vote of confidence (...) under the pressure of September 10 and the LFI motion of censure." Louis Boyard, MP for Val-de-Marne, calls for "censoring Bayrou" on September 8 and "on the 10th, we'll make Macron leave."

Among the Greens, Yvelines MP Benjamin Lucas wrote on his social media that he "does not trust" François Bayrou. Clémentin Autain also announced that she would vote "against the motion of confidence," believing that "debt blackmail is a broken record" while "the future of our children is threatened by climate inaction and the destruction of social gains."

Among the Socialists, Philippe Brun, elected representative for Eure, said he was "not surprised" by this announcement, describing it as "a disguised resignation of the Prime Minister." For the Communists, "this government will have to be brought down," according to party spokesman Léon Deffontaines.

"We will do everything in our power to prevent this budget, which is devastating for workers and the planet, from being implemented," he wrote on his social media.

For François Bayrou, "the purpose of this general policy statement will be to explicitly pose the central question: whether the danger to the nation is serious, whether there is an emergency or not." The head of government believes that this should allow us to "choose the path that will allow us to escape this curse by regaining control of our finances."

At the time of his appointment last December , the Prime Minister announced that he would not seek the confidence of MPs in his general policy statement. This point sparked anger among the opposition, particularly on the left. Jean-Luc Mélenchon, founder of La France Insoumise, then demanded "a vote of confidence to see if he had a majority." A request that has now been granted.