French Prime Minister François Bayrou announced today (Monday) his intention to hold a parliamentary confidence vote in the government on September 8, following his proposal to cut spending by more than 40 billion euros, which has sparked discontent among opposition parties both on the left and right. Bayrou aims to rally support for an unpopular budget that threatens further political uncertainty in the country. Jordan Bardella, leader of the far-right National Rally party, tweeted that Bayrou has just announced the end of his government, which collapsed due to repeated failures and negligence, adding that the National Rally will not grant confidence to a government that made the French people pay the price for its choices. He also noted that the French people are looking for change and a return to the polls, and that his party is ready for that.

Bayrou survived a no-confidence vote in July after National Rally deputies abstained from supporting a motion initiated by left-wing opponents amid rising disagreements over pension reforms. The motion received 189 votes, far below the 289 needed to topple the government, making the vote a warning ahead of budget discussions in the fall. The government seeks to save 40 billion euros to control the growing deficit, but the divided French parliament remains unable to agree on how to fix the country’s financial situation. The vote comes about five months after the Socialists agreed with the government not to propose a no-confidence motion to pass the state and social security budgets, though disagreements over pension reforms persist.