French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou survived two no-confidence motions on Wednesday, ensuring the adoption of the 2025 budget after months of political uncertainty. The vote follows Bayrou’s use of a constitutional provision to bypass parliament, a move that split the left-wing opposition.
Bayrou’s decision to force the budget through without a vote triggered opposition backlash but ultimately secured approval as the Socialist Party broke ranks with its left-wing allies and refused to support the no-confidence motion.
France has faced political instability since President Emmanuel Macron’s snap elections last summer, which left parliament divided into three opposing blocs. Bayrou’s predecessor, Michel Barnier, was ousted after attempting the same constitutional maneuver.
The budget includes €52 billion ($54.2 billion) in savings, preserving spending for healthcare and education, and marks a smaller adjustment than Barnier’s rejected proposal, which sought €60 billion in tax increases and cuts.
While Bayrou has stabilized the government for now, his administration still faces a fractured parliament and the risk of future no-confidence votes, including one over migration reform. Meanwhile, France remains out of compliance with EU fiscal rules, with a deficit projected at 5.4% next year.
The budget approval reassured markets, with French bond yields narrowing against German bonds. However, Moody’s recently downgraded France’s credit rating, citing concerns over long-term fiscal stability.
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Argentina has reiterated its interest in resuming talks with the United Kingdom over the Falkland Islands, a disputed...
France’s 2026 state budget has been adopted by parliament after Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu survived two no-confidence motions, ending months of political stalemate that had paralysed fiscal decision-making.
France will borrow a record €310 billion from financial markets next year to finance its growing public deficit and refinance maturing debt, according to figures released by Agence France Trésor (AFT) on Tuesday.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has survived two attempts to remove her from office after the European Parliament rejected no-confidence motions from hard-right and left-wing groups on Thursday.
France's fourth prime minister in three years, François Bayrou, faces almost certain defeat in a confidence vote on Monday, tipping the euro zone's second-biggest economy further into political uncertainty.
The U.S. military is redirecting at least three Iranian-flagged tankers after intercepting them in Asian waters near India, Malaysia and Sri Lanka, shipping and security sources said on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Tehran said U.S. breaches, blockades and threats are undermining “genuine negotiations.”
Diplomatic efforts to end the Iran war are intensifying, with the White House confirming that U.S. President Donald Trump will send special envoy Steve Witkoff and adviser Jared Kushner to Islamabad for talks with Iran under Pakistani mediation.
Russian emergency services have contained a major fire at the Tuapse oil refinery on the Black Sea coast, local officials said on Thursday, ending a four-day effort after a Ukrainian drone strike.
Argentina has reiterated its interest in resuming talks with the United Kingdom over the Falkland Islands, a disputed archipelago in the South Atlantic, after reports that an internal Pentagon email suggested reviewing Washington’s support for the UK’s claim amid tensions over the Iran war.
Slovenia’s national broadcaster RTV Slovenia has confirmed it will not air the Eurovision Song Contest 2026, joining a widening boycott over Israel’s participation.
Militants have staged coordinated attacks in Mali’s capital, Bamako, and several locations across the country, the army said on Saturday (25 April), in an assault apparently involving jihadist and Tuareg-led groups.
Two men were killed after the United States carried out a missile strike on a suspected drug-trafficking boat in the eastern Pacific Ocean on Friday (24 April), the military said.
Argentina has reiterated its interest in resuming talks with the United Kingdom over the Falkland Islands, a disputed archipelago in the South Atlantic, after reports that an internal Pentagon email suggested reviewing Washington’s support for the UK’s claim amid tensions over the Iran war.
China has urged the European Union to take its concerns seriously over new cybersecurity and digital regulations, warning they could create difficulties for Chinese companies operating in Europe.
Russia and Ukraine have swapped prisoners of war, according to officials on both sides. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said 193 prisoners, including soldiers and border guards, had been returned from Russia, some injured and facing criminal charges.
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