The French Socialist Party, whose support Francois Bayrou's minority government has been trying to secure for weeks, raised the threat of backing a no-confidence vote against the government later this week.
The Socialists, who voted down previous budget proposals in December in conjunction with far-right lawmakers and thereby precipitated the fall of Michel Barnier's government, have made concessions on the 2023 pension reform a condition for support.
During a speech to Parliament on Tuesday, Francois Bayrou opened the door to renegotiating the disputed pension reform.
Bayrou resolved to revisit it announcing a "conclave" of three months of renegotiation "without any taboos" regarding the retirement age of 64.
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However, the Socialists are asking him to go further to avoid censorship.
"It's an achievement," said Olivier Faure, the leader of the Socialist Party, who had negotiated with the Prime Minister, speaking on TF1's evening news bulletin on Tuesday.
But "it’s not enough," he added, rejecting the idea that, in the absence of an agreement between social partners, the "controversial" 2023 law would be reinstated.
"We will back a no-confidence vote, unless we get a clear response to our demands," he said.
"What I am asking the Prime Minister is that, whether or not there is an agreement, Parliament will be seized with the question of pensions based on the proposals made by all parties...We will censure, unless we get a clear answer on this issue."
Another no-confidence vote?
Bayrou’s general policy statement was to be scrutinised by most French party leaders, waiting to see how far he was willing to make concessions on this key reform of the second term of President Macron.
"The imperative that the country gives us," the Prime Minister said to the National Assembly, which had overturned his predecessor Michel Barnier after just three months, "is to regain stability."
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Faced with the almost impossible task of surviving and getting a budget for the current year passed, he was cautiously optimistic.
"When everything seems to be going wrong, we are forced to show courage," he said, receiving applause from the presidential camp, more reserved applause from the right, and jeers from part of the left.
La France Insoumise (LFI) immediately filed a motion of censure, which will be debated on Thursday, but the National Rally (RN) is unlikely to vote in favor, diminishing its chances of succeeding.
(With newswires)
