The Socialist Party "volunteers" to replace François Bayrou at Matignon

It's still no: "We will not place our trust in this government" and its "unacceptable" budget, repeated the Socialist Party leader at the closing of the summer universities in Blois, openly posing as an alternative.

"We are willing to be next," he said, putting on the table "another way of governing" with "the commitment not to use 49-3, which will mechanically force us to find compromises text by text."

A helping hand extended to the head of state, who "now has the responsibility to respond to this proposal," because "it is up to him alone to appoint a Prime Minister," he added.

A scenario which a priori rules out the hypothesis of a new dissolution, which Mr. Macron had earlier described as "political fiction", judging on the contrary that a compromise on the budget is "not insurmountable" by September 8.

Urging the political parties to find "paths of agreement", he once again gave his support to Mr. Bayrou, who was "right to hold the political forces accountable for the country's indebtedness".

To those who anticipate the fall of the Prime Minister and are already calling for his departure, the tenant of the Elysée Palace firmly ruled out resigning: "The mandate entrusted to me by the French people (...) will be exercised until its end," he warned.

"Another way"

Meanwhile, Mr. Bayrou is making numerous outings to try to save his own.

Opening the Châlons-en-Champagne Fair on Friday morning, he delivered a new plea, on behalf of young people reduced to "slavery" by debt, to justify his decision to request the Assembly's confidence on the state of public finances and the scale of the effort to be made in 2026.

The Prime Minister, who has been speaking out repeatedly since the beginning of the week, will give another interview on Sunday at 6:00 p.m. on four rolling news channels. With the slim hope of halting his probable fall.

Because, besides the Socialist Party, the other left-wing parties and the National Rally have already announced that they will vote against the confidence vote.

It is also "to tell him again" that they are proposing "another path and another method" that the socialists will go to Matignon next week, where Mr. Bayrou has invited all the party leaders.

But La France Insoumise and the Ecologists refused to attend these last-minute consultations. Unlike Jordan Bardella and Marine Le Pen, who will be received on Tuesday morning.

Mr. Bayrou again accused these opponents on Friday of wanting "the fall of the government, and after that (...) disorder and chaos."

Especially since the start of the social year promises to be hectic, with the "Block Everything" movement on September 10th, born on social networks, then the day of mobilization on the 18th called by the unions against "the museum of horrors of the draft budget."

"Left-wing government"

In response to the Prime Minister's alarmist speech, the Socialist Party is due to unveil its own budgetary plans on Saturday, with a budgetary effort well below the 44 billion euros put forward by Mr Bayrou, and relying primarily on the richest and large companies.

The rose-colored party hopes to "take on board" its partners: Ecologists, communists, ex-Insoumis, Générations, all represented in Blois.

A priori the Greens will be there, since their leader Marine Tondelier repeats ad nauseam that Emmanuel Macron "has no other choice but to nominate us."

On the other hand, the boss of Place publique Raphaël Glucksmann seems to want to play his part alone, with the 2027 presidential election as his objective.

As for the Insoumis, with whom relations are execrable, the most optimistic see them as "support without participation".

This is far from certain. LFI MP Eric Coquerel ruled out on Friday "giving a blank check to people whose policies we don't know." Its leader, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, will set the tone at a conference in Paris at 7:00 p.m.

caz-bpa-far-gbh/hr/cbn