French far-right unlikely to back no-confidence vote against government

PARIS (Reuters) - French far-right leader Jordan Bardella said on Tuesday that the French people would suffer most from more uncertainty over the budget, suggesting his party would likely not back no-confidence motions against Francois Bayrou's minority government.

Bayrou rammed the 2025 budget bill through parliament on Monday, betting that he has made enough concessions to his rivals to survive a no-confidence motion that could cut short his premiership.

"The question is: Is it better to have a bad budget or no budget at all? We will decide tomorrow," Bardella told CNews television.

"I think that in the period we are going through, the French people would not benefit from a new form of instability that would strongly impact the economy," he said.

In addition, based on pure voting numbers, Bayrou's government would in any case survive after the centre-left Socialist Party decided on Monday against supporting the upcoming no-confidence vote, scheduled for Wednesday, he said

"Mathematically, the government cannot fall," Bardella said.

Pressure had been mounting on France to approve the much-delayed budget, with business leaders, European Union partners and voters showing impatience with a political class that has struggled to overcome its differences.

France has been mired in political instability since President Emmanuel Macron's surprise decision to call a snap election last June backfired, with voters delivering a hung parliament just as an unexpected hole in public finances emerged.

(Reporting by Dominique Vidalon; Editing by Sharon Singleton)

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