Caretaker French PM scraps ministers’ severance payouts
Sebastien Lecornu is aiming to set an example of the budget belt-tightening he says the country needs
[PARIS] Caretaker French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said on Wednesday (Oct 8) that ministers in his short-lived government would not receive severance pay, aiming to set an example of the budget belt-tightening he says the country needs.
Lecornu, France’s fifth prime minister in two years, resigned along with his Cabinet on Monday – just hours after the government was announced on Sunday – making it the shortest-lived administration in modern French history.
French ministers are entitled to three months of severance pay – nearly 10,000 euros (S$15,066) per month for ministers and almost 14,000 euros for a prime minister – as they do not qualify for unemployment insurance.
“We cannot aim to make savings if we do not also try to set an example and act with rigour, in line with the other decisions I have taken,” Lecornu told reporters during an update on talks with other parties to resolve the political crisis.
France’s political turmoil has deepened as successive prime ministers have struggled to rein in the eurozone’s largest budget deficit, facing fierce resistance to spending cuts and tax hikes.
With public anger over the swift succession of prime ministers building, Lecornu last month set a 10-year limit on how long former prime ministers can benefit from a chauffeur-driven car.
Former prime ministers cost the state 1.58 million euros last year in perks, which also include having a secretary for a decade after leaving office.
Lecornu also struck a cautiously optimistic tone on Wednesday, saying a deal on the country’s Budget could eventually be reached, making the possibility of a snap election less likely.
“There is a willingness to have a Budget for France before Dec 31 of this year,” Lecornu told reporters after meetings on Tuesday with conservatives and centre-right parties, and before meeting the Socialist Party. “And this willingness creates momentum and convergence, obviously, which reduces the prospects of dissolution (of parliament),” he said. REUTERS
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