French Prime Minister announces confidence vote to be held in the Autumn
French Prime Minister Manuel Valls has pledged to hold a parliamentary confidence vote which will take place in the Autumn, reports AFP.
In a TV interview, Valls said, "I will have the opportunity to hold a vote of confidence at the (lower house) National Assembly… in September or in October."
The news comes after the entire French government was dissolved yesterday, after just four months in office. President Hollande suffered a major setback on Sunday after economy minister Arnaud Montebourg slammed the government from the left in a speech given in the south of France.
Montebourg called for a "major shift in economic policy", away from monetary and fiscal austerity. The former minister said he would not be seeking a position in the next government and was joined by ministers Benoit Hamon and Aurelie Filippetti.
Montebourg urged Hollande to abandon "the most extreme orthodoxy of the German right".
Earlier today a new cabinet was unveiled, with Emmanuel Macron taking the position of economy minister and Najat Vallaud-Belkacem becoming the first female minister for education. Fleur Pellerin replaced Aurelie Filippetti as minister for culture.
President Hollande said the new cabinet would "cohere to the directions of the prime minister", who is believed to be on what counts for the right of France's socialist party.
Commenting on the new French cabinet, senior Berenburg economicts Christian Schulz, said:
The government has not brought in new ministers from other parties such as the Greens or the centrists of Francois Bayrou, despite apparent attempts to do this. That might put the parliamentary majority at risk in crunch votes, for instance on budget cuts or labour market reforms, if the left-wingers in the party take a tougher line against the government.