French PM Berou weakened by Socialist Party threat to back no-confidence vote

Dominique Vidalon

PARIS (Reuters) – The long-term survival prospects of French Prime Minister François Bellew’s minority government appeared slimmer after the Socialists threatened on Thursday to back a no-confidence vote.

While Bayrou looks likely to survive a no-confidence motion brought by 58 MPs from the far-left LFI, Greens and Communist parties, losing the support of the Socialist Party would be a huge blow, especially after he arrived on Tuesday After offering to renegotiate the controversial bill.

If he loses the support of the Socialist Party, Bellew will find himself in a similar position to his predecessor Michel Barnier: dependent on the grace of the far-right National Rally (RN), which can pull its support down at will.

Barnier’s three-month term was cut short after Marine Le Pen’s RN grew dissatisfied with her belt-tightening 2025 budget bill.

“Le Pen and her deputies are running hot and cold about their intentions in tomorrow’s vote,” the Eurasia Group said in a report. “They are likely to sit on the sidelines and Berou will survive – for now. ,” Eurasia Group said in a report. “Without socialist support, Beru now finds himself equally vulnerable to the whims and threats of the far right.”

National Assembly Speaker Yaël Braun-Pivet told RTL radio on Wednesday that the no-confidence vote would be debated at 1400 GMT on Thursday.

The Socialists, who voted to oust Barnier in December, have made concessions on the 2023 pension law as a condition of supporting Bayrou. The overture to the Socialist Party was seen as a way for Bayrou to break away from its reliance on registered nurses.

Bellou opened the door to renegotiating the pension scheme in parliament on Tuesday, proposing to entrust unions and employer groups with a three-month task to find a new deal that is financially balanced. Bellew said that if a balance cannot be achieved, the current agreement will remain unchanged.

Socialist Party leader Oliver Faure said that was not enough.

“We will support a vote of no confidence unless our demands are clearly answered,” Fore told TF1 TV on Tuesday night.

He said the Socialists wanted assurances that parliament would review the pension law if renegotiations failed.

Budget Minister Amelie de Montchalin appeared to pour cold water on the demand in an interview with TF1 TV on Wednesday, saying “negotiations between unions and employers can be successful and this is the right way to do it” .

The pension reform, which will become law in the spring of 2023, will gradually increase the minimum age for receiving a full pension from 62 to 64.

(Reporting by Dominic Vidalon; Editing by Gabrielle Stargardt and Frances Kerry)