French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou said on Sunday the destiny of France was at stake in a forthcoming confidence vote, which he called to resolve a budget standoff but is expected to lose.
The September 8 vote in parliament will not decide "the fate of the prime minister" but "the fate of France", Bayrou said, during an interview with four news channels.
The prime minister stunned France on Monday by saying he would request the vote in a divided parliament, as he tries to garner enough support for his minority government's plan to slash spending -- even as opposition parties say they will not back him.
"I think that the days ahead are crucial," the 74-year-old prime minister said in the interview with franceinfo, LCI, BFMTV and Cnews.
"If you think that I can give up the battles that I fight, that I am fighting here, that I have been fighting for years and that I will continue to fight in the future, you are mistaken."
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