French PM: considering referendum proposal on budget

Prime Minister of France Francois Bayrou said on Saturday he was considering proposing a national referendum over the country’s budget, given concerns that big cost-cutting plans could result in widespread protests.

“I think the subject is so serious, and it carries such major consequences for the future of the country, that it should be put directly to our citizens. Therefore, I am not ruling out any option,” Bayrou told the Journal du Dimanche paper in an interview published on Saturday.

The French government is trying to balance how to cut the country’s debt burden while trying to avoid stirring up anger from trade unions and workers who fear big public sector job cuts.

According to the French constitution, the president can call for a referendum after a proposal by the government.

“It is up to the government to propose, and for the president to decide…We have in front of us a question of huge importance, one which is not only for the technocrats and experts but which needs to be examined by each citizen,” added Bayrou.

During his traditional New Year’s Eve speech on December 31 last year, Macron opened the door to use referendums this year, saying he would ask the French to decide on “decisive” issues, without elaborating on which ones.

Macron’s Elysee office did not immediately return a request for a comment on Bayrou’s interview.

French opposition parties have already threatened to bring down Bayrou’s government with a no-confidence motion, after his finance minister said next year’s budget would require billions of euros in savings.

Bayrou is keen to avoid the fate of his predecessor Michel Barnier, whose short-lived tenure as Prime Minister was ended after Barnier was toppled due to widespread anger over the cost-cutting plans in his budget.