The long-term survival prospects of French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou's minority government have shrunk as he fights to keep the Socialist Party from backing a no-confidence vote on Thursday. Although Bayrou looks likely to ride out the no-confidence motion put forward by 58 far-left France Unbowed (LFI),

There should be “no totems or taboos” as new prime minister fights to reform pensions — and keep his job.

New French Prime Minister François Bayrou is considering changing the voting system for the National Assembly, he said in his first government statement on Tuesday. The 73-year-old has long been a proponent of introducing proportional representation in France.

The French Socialist Party, whose support Francois Bayrou's minority government has been trying to secure for weeks, on Tuesday raised the threat of backing a no-confidence vote against the government later this week.