PARIS
French Prime Minister Manuel Valls and his new Cabinet have won a parliamentary vote of confidence after revealing a package of tax cuts and labour market reforms designed to "open a new chapter."
Giving his first policy speech to the French National Assembly after being appointed by President Francois Hollande last week, the former interior minister was backed by 306 lawmakers, with 239 voting against.
With the ruling Socialists holding 291 seats out of 577 and the minority Greens mostly backing Valls, the Spanish-born PM was able to win the vote.
Valls announced detailed plans to cut public spending by 50 billion euros (US$68.51 billion) over the next three years to bring down the country's deficit and fund a 30 billion euro reduction in payroll taxes for employers.
He promised tax cuts to bosses and low-paid workers by boosting their take-home salaries by around 500 euros a year through cutting social-security contributions and labour costs by 30 billion euros as part of President Hollande's "responsibility pact."
Valls also said that the government will cut the number of France’s administrative regions, currently 27, by half. He promised to have the new map drawn up by January 2017; regional-level councils will also be done away with by 2021.
The new prime minister also rejected accusations made by Rwandan President Paul Kagame this weekend who implicated French troops in the country's 1994 genocide.
Valls was appointed prime minister on Monday March 31 in a government reshuffle following the ruling Socialists' poor performance in local elections on March 30.
englishnews@aa.com.tr
