France PM forces second half of budget through parliament without vote

"French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu on Tuesday rammed part of the 2026 budget through parliament without a vote, exposing himself to a no-confidence motion, after negotiations reached an impasse. "Since parliament is unable to see through its responsibility of giving the nation a budget" he had to resort to the constitutional measure known as Article 49.3 to force bills into law, Lecornu told the Assembly nationale on Tuesday."

"However on Tuesday morning the centre-left Parti Socialiste - who form a decisive block in parliament - announced that they would not vote in favour of the confidence motion. This means that the government may now survive, although the vote is still expected to be tight. Lecornu had been negotiating with Socialist leaders for days and last week announced some budget concessions that appeared to be tailored to PS demands, including making one-euro university meals available to all students."

Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu used Article 49.3 to push part of the 2026 budget through parliament without a vote after negotiations stalled, exposing him to no-confidence motions. He said he acted because parliament was unable to pass a national budget. The government must invoke the measure two more times to enact the full budget and faces multiple no-confidence votes scheduled for debate on Friday. The centre-left Parti Socialiste said it will not back a confidence motion, improving the government's survival odds but leaving a likely tight vote. Concessions include one-euro university meals, €400 million for social housing, an average €50 monthly top-up for low-income earners, preserved pension tax breaks and student grants.

Read at The Local France