Prime Minister Francois Bayrou said France’s destiny was at stake in a confidence vote due in just over a week that may well lead to his government’s ouster.

“The issue, the question, is not the fate of the prime minister or Francois Bayrou,” he said in an interview with four French news channels on Sunday. “And it is not even the fate of the government. The question is the fate of France.”

France has been plunged into an acute political crisis since Bayrou called a Sept 8 confidence vote in an effort to break a deadlock over planned budget cuts. To avoid being forced to resign, he has until then to convince either far-right or leftist lawmakers at least to abstain, going back on their pledges to vote against him.

Powerful opposition politicians, including National Rally President Jordan Bardella and Socialist leader Olivier Faure, reaffirmed this weekend that they wouldn’t change their positions and that they only planned to participate in meetings this week called by Bayrou out of courtesy.

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Bayrou said he was extending a hand to all parties but acknowledged it’s unlikely to work. “Compromise is a beautiful thing,” he said in the interview. “But I’m not sure it’s possible.”

With labor strikes planned for next month, Bayrou’s ouster would return President Emmanuel Macron to an impasse he’s struggled to exit since snap elections last year left the country with a hung parliament just as it is wrestling with the largest budget deficit in the euro area.

In July, Bayrou put forward €44 billion ($51 billion) in spending cuts and tax increases, which he argues are essential to bring the budget deficit down to 4.6 percent of economic output from an expected 5.4 percent this year. Investors have already positioned themselves for the heightened political risks in France, which threaten to derail a nascent economic recovery as companies delay hiring and investment.

On Sunday, Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin appealed to the Socialists and others to “extend a hand” to save the country’s political and financial stability.

Market selloffs over the past week pushed the difference between France’s 10-year borrowing cost and Germany’s over 80 basis points — highs not seen since January. On Friday, that spread was around 79.

“The stability of our government, of our institutions, is the greatest guarantee that we do not borrow too expensively and that we can carry out reforms and continue to have lenders,” Darmanin said. “What is at stake is extremely important.”

Opposition parties, including Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally, are pressing Macron to roll the dice again with fresh legislative elections, or even an early presidential vote. Macron however has thrown his weight behind Bayrou’s plans and insisted he won’t resign before his term ends in 2027.

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Bardella told BFM TV on Saturday that he believed Bayrou’s government “is going to fall” and renewed his call for snap elections. “It is clear that in the current situation, I see no other solution than to turn to the French people. We cannot go on like this for two years,” he said.

The Socialist Party’s Faure told BFM TV on Sunday that his group’s decision to vote against the confidence motion was “irrevocable.” Referring to a meeting set for Thursday with Bayrou, he added, “The only word I’m waiting for him to say now is ‘goodbye.’”