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                   French Government Survives Confidence Vote

   by Lisa Bryant

   By the end of the vote, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls got the
   results he had hoped for: 269 in favor of his government compared to
   244 votes against.

   But the embattled Socialist government of French President Francois
   Hollande has lost its absolute majority in parliament, with some of its
   dissident lawmakers abstaining from casting their ballots.

   But by squeaking through today's parliamentary confidence vote, the
   party has overcome a political and economic crisis -- for now.

   Addressing the lawmakers minutes after the results were announced,
   Valls vowed to continue a path of proposed economic reforms through the
   rest of the government's five-year term.

   But the problems facing Valls, and Hollande, are far from over. The
   country is battling a stagnant economy and record unemployment, and
   Hollande is the most unpopular leader in modern times with a 13 percent
   approval rating.

   Even French nationals who voted Hollande into office, such as
   61-year-old Zulika Ben Brahim, who says the government must address
   high unemployment among youth and help older people like herself, are
   rooting for change.

   The National Assembly head of the main opposition UMP party, Christian
   Jacob, says the days are numbered for Prime Minister Valls, as he vowed
   to battle the government at every turn. Only on one issue are French
   politicians united, he said: the battle against militant Islam.

   The vote comes a day after President Hollande hosted an international
   conference on Iraq, in which nations pledged to step up the fight
   against the Islamic State group. Hollande has scored points on his
   foreign policy, which has included military campaigns to staunch the
   bloodshed in Mali and Central African Republic, but that is about all.

   The president is expected to outline his strategy for the country
   during a press conference Thursday.

   And he faces other key tests this week, starting on Friday when the
   Moody's rating agency may downgrade its sovereign debt rating for
   France.

   On Sunday, former president Nicolas Sarkozy, one of Holland's political
   rivals, is expected to announce his return to politics.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/french-government-hollande-confidence
   -vote/2452200.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/french-government-hollande-confidence-vote/2452200.html