French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou faced criticism on Thursday for claiming he avoided August crisis talks as others were on holiday.
Bayrou announced on Monday he would hold a confidence vote in parliament on September 8 to try and break a stalemate over the 2026 budget.
Trying To Change Outcome
The centrist prime minister, who is very likely to lose that vote and be out of office as the main opposition parties say they will vote against him, said he would meet with opposition leaders next week to try and convince them to change their minds and back him.
Asked by TF1 TV on Wednesday why he had not invited them for talks earlier, Bayrou said: “Because they were on holiday.”
“In August, they were all on holiday,” he added.
That immediately triggered angry comments.
‘I Don’t Like Lies’
“Mr. Prime Minister, you say you don’t like trickery… Personally, I don’t like lies,” far-right leader Marine Le Pen said on X in French.
“Contrary to what you stated in front of millions of French people on the 8 p.m. news on TF1, the National Rally was not ‘on vacation’,” Le Pen added.
“Everyone can verify that I did indeed write you a precise and detailed letter on your budget proposals, a letter that went unanswered.”
“The government also engaged in discussions with the National Rally to prevent the publication of the decree on energy policy,” she added.
On TV news channel LCI, Greens leader Marine Tondelier said she was “extremely shocked” by Bayrou’s comments. Her party held a days-long annual convention last week and was not on holiday.
‘That’s How Things Work’
Asked about the backlash, Bayrou stood by his remarks on Thursday.
“How is that a criticism? All French people know it’s normal and that that’s how things work,” he told reporters, speaking of August holidays.
Referring to the confidence vote, Manuel Bompard, from the hard left France Unbowed party, quipped on X that Bayrou himself would soon be on holiday.
(With inputs from Reuters)
