Hollande Faces Hurdle to Spending Cuts as Socialists Revolt
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French President Francois Hollande’s biggest hurdle in pushing through a plan to cut public spending is emerging from within his own Socialist ranks.
After his newly appointed prime minister, Manuel Valls, presented details of a package of 50 billion euros ($69 billion) in cuts last week, lawmaker Laurent Baumel called it “intolerable,” saying he’s “a Socialist, not a Hollandist.” His colleague Cristian Paul deemed it “unacceptable,” while Senator Marie-Noelle Lienemann said it was an “economic aberration” based on the “dogma of lowering labor costs” and vowed to vote against the plan.