French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou has survived two no-confidence votes in parliament, paving the way for the adoption of the long-delayed 2025 budget, which is considered key to reducing France's huge debts, Reuters reported, quoted by dariknews.bg.
The no-confidence vote was requested by the far left, but was doomed to fail after the far-right formation "National Rally" and the center-left Socialist Party did not support the proposals.
A total of 128 deputies supported the first vote and 122 the second, with 289 votes needed.
The far-left deputies filed the two no-confidence votes against the prime minister after he invoked special constitutional powers to push through the 2025 budget without a vote in parliament.
Ahead of the vote, both the National Assembly and the Socialist Party had signaled they would not support the vote because France needed a budget, although the Socialists said they would soon file a separate no-confidence motion over Bayrou's recent comments on immigration.
Bayrou said many French people felt "overwhelmed" by the government's handling of the crisis. by immigrants.
The third vote is also expected to fail.
France has been gripped by political instability since President Emmanuel Macron called a surprise snap election last June, a move that left parliament divided and left no party with a majority.
The budget row rocked markets and brought down the government of Bayrou's predecessor, Michel Barnier, after just three months in office. Bayrou's government survived by making major concessions to the left and far right to advance its legislative agenda.
"This budget is not perfect. "It is an urgent step because our country cannot live without a budget," Bayrou told lawmakers.
Meanwhile, Finance Minister Eric Lombard said the failure of the opposition's attempt to topple the government with a vote of no confidence was a good thing for France.
The budget aims to reduce the deficit, raise taxes on big companies and the wealthy, and cut spending.