French Prime Minister François Bayrou will seek a high-stakes confidence vote in parliament on September 8 over unpopular plans to clean up France’s public finances.

Bayrou’s move will gauge whether he has enough support in a fragmented parliament for his €44 billion ($51.5 billion) budget squeeze as he tries to tame a budget deficit that hit 5.8 percent of gross domestic product last year, nearly double the official EU limit of 3 percent.

If he loses the confidence vote, Bayrou’s minority government will fall.

Both the hard-left La France Insoumise (France Unbowed or LFI) and far-right Rassemblement National (National Rally or RN) party said they would use the vote to try to oust the centrist government.

The votes of Socialist lawmakers will be decisive for Bayrou's fate because if they join other left-wing parties and the far right in voting against the government, there will likely be enough votes to oust it.

National Rally leader Jordan Bardella immediately said his party would not back Bayrou’s planned cuts.

“François Bayrou has just announced the end of his government, undermined by its complacent inaction,” Bardella said, in a social media post.

“The RN will never vote in favour of a government whose choices cause suffering to the French people. Our fellow citizens are waiting for a change and a return to the ballot box: we are ready.”

The head of the French Socialist Party Olivier Faure told French daily Le Monde that it was"inconceivable" that French Socialists would back Bayrou in a confidence vote.

Bayrou does not have a majority in parliament’s lower house, the National Assembly, and the upcoming vote underscores the fragility of his position.

"Yes it's risky, but it's even riskier not to do anything," Bayrou told a press conference, referring to what he said was the major danger the country faced due to its huge debt pile.

In mid-July, Bayrou presented 2026 budget proposals, saying he wanted to reduce the number of public holidays in France as part of a bid to tackle what he called the “curse” of the country’s debt.

After years of overspending, France is on notice to control its public deficit and cut its sprawling debt, as required under EU rules.

The confidence vote will take place just two days before planned protests, which have been called for on social media and backed by leftist parties and some unions.