French socialists have introduced a bill of no confidence in Prime Minister François Bayrou after pension talks failed. A senior MP from the party announced this, but the lawsuit is unlikely to be accepted, as the far right has stated that it will not follow suit, UNN writes referring to Reuters.
Details
Months of negotiations between French trade unions and employers on pension system reforms failed on Monday, prompting Bayrou to convene both sides for talks to find a compromise.
The failure of these negotiations makes Bayrou vulnerable, as his centrist government, which unites the "Ensemble" alliance of President Emmanuel Macron and the conservative Republicans, could fall at any moment if the left and far-right parties unite to support a vote of no confidence.
It also heralds even more difficult negotiations on the 2026 budget bill, as the government seeks to push through 40 billion euros in spending cuts.
Boris Vallo, the leader of the socialists in the lower house, told parliament that Bayrou had not kept his promise to submit a new pension reform bill to parliament.
This forces us to file a vote of no confidence
The far-left "Unconquered France" previously supported the idea of a vote of confidence, but without the support of Marine Le Pen's far-right "National Rally" (RN), the measure is unlikely to be adopted.
France twice voted for a vote of no confidence in the Prime Minister06.02.25, 03:11 • [views_32282]
Gaetan Dussosaye, an RN MP, said that the RN is not seeking to overthrow the government, and Le Pen did not mention such a move when addressing parliament.
We don't just condemn — but that's exactly what the left is proposing here
Bayrou found himself in a similar situation to previous Prime Minister Michel Barnier, whose three-month administration was supported by the RN until it supported a vote of no confidence in his 2025 budget bill in December, which aimed to tighten belts.
In parliament on Tuesday, Bayrou said he was still convinced that "there is a way, albeit a very difficult one, that can get us out of this impasse."
During the talks, which were dubbed last-chance talks, pension negotiators failed to agree on how to amend the unpopular 2023 pension system reform, which will gradually raise the retirement age from 62 to 64.
The unions wanted to allow workers with physically demanding jobs to retire earlier and give more weight to maternity leave, while employers feared concessions that could negatively affect the system's finances.
Addition
The French National Assembly did not support the vote of no confidence in the government of François Bayrou, gaining only 128 votes out of the required 288. The Prime Minister immediately applied the article of the Constitution to make a decision without a vote by deputies.