I will request a vote of confidence from the National Assembly (lower house of parliament) on September 8. This was stated by French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou, Reuters and Agence France-Presse reported, quoted by BTA.

Bayrou made the remarks at a press conference to mark the opening of the country's new political season. The French prime minister is taking the action over his cabinet's unpopular plans to reduce the country's budget deficit, which reached 5.8 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) last year - almost double the official EU level of 3 percent.

Bayrou's move will show whether he has enough political support in parliament to push through the package of economic measures worth almost 44 billion euros.

The vote of confidence comes just two days before planned protests, called for on social media and backed by left-wing parties and some unions. The call for general demonstrations on September 10 has drawn comparisons to the so-called yellow vest protests that erupted in 2018 over rising fuel prices and the high cost of living.

The"yellow vest" protests have grown into a broader movement against President Emmanuel Macron and his efforts at economic reform.

Bayrou proposed eliminating two of the eleven official holidays to"increase the country's overall activity" and freezing social spending and tax rates in 2026 at 2025 levels, without adjusting for inflation, Reuters added.

"We are facing an imminent danger that we must deal with... otherwise we have no future," Bayrou told a news conference, adding that"our country is in danger" of "over-indebtedness," AFP reported.