France’s Prime Minister François Bayrou said he is considering proposing a national referendum over the country’s budget.
In an interview with the French weekly Journal du Dimanche published late Saturday, Bayrou said the importance of the issue means it merits consulting with voters directly.
“The question is serious enough, with far-reaching consequences for the country’s future, that it should be put directly to the people,” he said.
“I do not rule out any possibility,” Bayrou added.
The French government is looking to reduce the 2026 budget by €40 billion, largely through spending cuts. Bayrou said those savings should not come by imposing new taxes but via “greater efficiency” and “simplification” of public spending.
“It’s a comprehensive plan I want to submit. It will demand efforts from everybody, and given its scale, it cannot succeed unless the French people support it,” Bayrou said.
He ruled out “targeted sacrifices” — such as a previously mooted “tax raid” on pensioners. His budget would “be a substantial one … based on a shared effort, carried out collectively by the French people,” the prime minister said.
“I refuse to scapegoat any particular category of French people, retirees no more than anyone else,” he said.
Under France’s constitution, only the president can call a referendum. But Bayrou said the government could propose the idea.
“The key issue is whether the French support the reforms,” he said.
He also criticized previous government attempts at reforms.
“When reforms are implemented through traditional means, by forcing them through, what happens? The country goes on strike, demonstrations follow one after the other, and no one knows if those marching truly understand the content of what they are protesting,” Bayrou said.
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