PARIS: French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou survived an initial no-confidence vote in parliament, called for by the hard-left, after the far-right National Rally (RN) and centre-left Socialists did not back the motion.

On Wednesday, 128 lawmakers voted in favour of the first motion, well short of the 289 votes that were needed.

Far-left lawmakers have introduced two no-confidence motions against the prime minister after he invoked special constitutional powers to force through the 2025 budget.

The tool, known as Article 49.3, allows the minority government to pass the legislation without a parliamentary vote.-Reuters