New French Government Seeks Parliament Confidence Vote On Tuesday

[April 04, 2014]  PARIS (Reuters) — France's newly-formed government will seek a confidence vote from parliament next Tuesday, the government spokesman said.

"On Tuesday afternoon the prime minister will present a general policy speech and there will be a vote of confidence," government spokesman Stephane Le Foll told a news briefing after the cabinet's first meeting on Friday, referring to a scheduled keynote policy speech by new Prime Minister Valls.

The original plan had been to tie the vote of confidence to a subsequent vote on President Francois Hollande's pro-business "responsibility pact" offering payroll tax cuts to companies, a key reform opposed by some on the left.

The green light from parliament for the government and overall policy of Valls would allow the reform to be implemented without being subject to a separate vote in parliament.

(Reporting by Alexandria Sage; editing by Mark John)

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