Politics France's government survives vote of no confidence
France's minority government has survived two votes of no confidence in the National Assembly that were requested due to the budget dispute. Only 267 and 140 out of 577 MPs respectively withdrew their confidence in Sébastien Lecornu's centrist cabinet.
27.01.2026, 23:53
27.01.2026, 23:54
SDA
The votes were requested by Marine Le Pen's right-wing nationalists on the one hand and the left, Greens and Communists on the other. The attempted overthrow was a reaction to the fact that Lecornu had pushed the spending part of the budget for this year through the parliamentary chamber without a final vote. Because Lecornu secured the support of the Socialists by making concessions, it was already expected that he would not lose confidence.
Budget not yet finally adopted
After no compromise was found on the budget despite lengthy negotiations, Lecornu decided to push the budget through parliament using a special article of the constitution. He had actually wanted to do without such a procedure, which is often criticized by the opposition as undemocratic and could lead to the fall of the government.
However, the budget has not yet been finally passed. It now goes to the second chamber of parliament, the Senate. Lecornu will then have to use his power once again to get the text through the National Assembly. He is likely to face further votes of no confidence.
The budget is intended to reduce the deficit of the highly indebted France to five percent as planned. The end of the budget deliberations should bring a sigh of relief from companies and EU partners.
Lecornu has already had to face two votes of no confidence three times, most recently last week. Lecornu's predecessors François Bayrou and Michel Barnier were forced out of office in a dispute over budget issues in Parliament.
