Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu will address parliament on Tuesday to spell out his budget priorities, hoping to win over enough Socialists to stave off losing a no-confidence vote that would plunge France further into the political mire.
The far left and far right have already filed their own no-confidence motions which will be voted on on Thursday morning. Lecornu will lose unless he can convince the Socialists to opt out of supporting the measure.
France is in the midst of its worst political crisis in decades as a succession of minority governments seek to push deficit-reducing budgets through a truculent legislature split into three distinct ideological blocs.
The 39-year-old was already France's shortest-serving prime minister in modern times before he retook the job late last week after resigning, but now faces the prospect of losing the no-confidence vote.
Should Lecornu fall this week, experts believe President Emmanuel Macron would have little choice but to call fresh legislative elections.
Macron has burned through five prime ministers in less than two years. He has so far refused to call fresh legislative elections or resign.
Ahead of his speech, due to start at 1300 GMT, Lecornu will head to his first cabinet meeting with Macron since he was reappointed late on Friday. Lecornu's new cabinet, in which many of the choice jobs remained unchanged from his previous line-up that lasted just 14 hours, was unveiled on Sunday night.
The Socialists, who are themselves split between centrist and harder-left factions, are meeting on Tuesday to decide whether to topple the government. Only around 25 Socialist lawmakers would need to support a no-confidence measure for Lecornu to fall.
The Socialists want Lecornu to repeal Macron's pension reform and roll out a billionaires' tax, but doing so could lead conservatives to pull their support and bring him down.
"The Socialists' collective position will depend on whether the prime minister gives up on major, significant points, in particular regarding the pension reform, but not only that. It will also depend on what he says about fiscal justice," party spokesman Arthur Delaporte said on Sud Radio.
Lecornu aims to put a more than 30 billion euro ($35 billion) squeeze on the budget next year to get the fiscal deficit down to 4.7% of economic output, La Tribune reported late on Monday.
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Widely recognised as the world’s oldest oil exporter, Azerbaijan will showcase its renewed efforts to combat climate change on Friday as it hosts the 2026 World Environment Day conference in partnership with the UN.
Marjane Satrapi, the Iranian-French artist, filmmaker and author best known for the acclaimed graphic novel Persepolis, has died at the age of 56, the French presidency announced on Thursday.
Colombian singer Shakira will perform the official World Cup song, "Dai Dai", at the tournament's opening ceremony in Mexico City, FIFA announced on Friday (5 June).
Armenians will vote on Sunday in a parliamentary election that will determine whether Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan secures a new mandate to pursue peace with Azerbaijan or cedes ground to pro-Russian rivals.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) said in a statement that its Aerospace Force did not strike the Kuwait Airport passenger terminal on Wednesday, and that the destruction was instead caused by a failed U.S. Patriot missile.
Israel and Lebanon have agreed to implement a ceasefire after U.S.-backed talks in Washington. The deal requires Hezbollah to halt attacks and withdraw from southern Lebanon, while both sides will resume direct talks later this month aimed at reaching a broader agreement.
As Armenia heads toward parliamentary elections on 7 June, the country's relationship with Azerbaijan is emerging as one of the defining issues of the campaign, with analysts and international observers highlighting the role of regional politics in shaping voters’ mindsets.
The United Kingdom has begun using SpaceX's Starshield satellite network for military operations, according to people familiar with the matter, marking one of the first known deployments of the secure government-focused system outside the U.S.
All 27 European Union (EU) member countries have agreed to begin the first set of talks with Ukraine and Moldova about joining the political and economic bloc.
Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit North Korea on 8-9 June, marking his first trip to the country in nearly seven years as Beijing seeks to strengthen relations with its long-time ally.
A blaze at a popular market in northeast Thailand sent vendors fleeing and left five people in hospital, with police investigating a suspected electrical short circuit.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has publicly invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to meet for direct talks aimed at ending the war between their countries, saying Ukraine remains ready for peace but will continue fighting if no agreement can be reached.
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for the 5 June, covering the latest developments you need to know.
The U.S. House of Representatives has approved legislation that would provide new aid to Ukraine and impose additional sanctions on Russia, marking the latest instance of Republican lawmakers breaking ranks with President Donald Trump and party leaders.
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