French Prime Minister François Bayrou has sparked strong reactions following his statement that he did not hold talks with the opposition during August to avoid a political crisis, because “everyone was on vacation.”
Bayrou announced on Monday that he will hold a confidence vote in parliament on September 8 to break the deadlock over the 2026 budget. However, the main opposition parties have warned that they will vote against him, making his potential defeat possible.
In an interview with TF1 on Wednesday, Bayrou was asked why he had not invited the opposition for talks earlier. He replied: “Because they were on vacation. In August, everyone was on vacation.”
His statement was met with outrage from opposition leaders. Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right, said on X: “I don’t like lies,” adding that her party had submitted proposals during the summer. Meanwhile, Green Party leader Marine Tondelier told LCI that she was “extremely shocked” by Bayrou’s comments and emphasized that her party had not been on vacation, having held a convention last week.
In response to the criticism, Bayrou stood by his position on Thursday, according to Reuters.
