Juppe Wins Vote Of Confidence

Juppe had called the confidence vote at the start of a new parliamentary session to quell internal opposition.

The 464-100 vote in his favour reflected the huge share of seats held by the centre-right coalition, but Juppe won only a muted reception from his own backbenchers.

In recent weeks, many have contested the prime minister's social and economic measures. In a speech addressed more to these backbenchers than to the opposition Socialists and Communists, Juppe said he believed perseverance would pay off and that 1997 would be a year of improvement''.

He welcomed the fall in long-term French interest rates to an