The prospects of French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou's minority government surviving in the long term appeared slimmer after the Socialist Party raised the threat of backing a no-confidence vote on Thursday.

There should be “no totems or taboos” as new prime minister fights to reform pensions — and keep his job.

New French Prime Minister François Bayrou is considering changing the voting system for the National Assembly, he said in his first government statement on Tuesday. The 73-year-old has long been a proponent of introducing proportional representation in France.

The French Socialist Party, whose support Francois Bayrou's minority government has been trying to secure for weeks, on Tuesday raised the threat of backing a no-confidence vote against the government later this week.