French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou has sparked controversy by proposing to abolish two public holidays in his 2026 budget plan to reduce the country's growing debt burden.
Bayrou described France's public debt as a major threat and stressed that the country must work harder to increase productivity and national income.
The effort also involves abolishing Easter Monday and May 8, the day commemorating the Allied victory in Europe in World War II.
The move is part of an austerity package that includes limits on public spending, cuts to civil servants and cuts to tax privileges for the wealthy.
The far-right National Rally party called the move an attack on history and workers, while Green Party leader Marine Tondelier criticized the abolition of the Victory Day over Nazism.
The proposal has received strong criticism from various quarters and risks triggering a vote of no confidence that could destabilize Bayrou's political stability
