French PM Sébastien Lecornu survives no-confidence vote, avoids political upheaval

Paris: French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu narrowly survived a no-confidence vote in Parliament on Thursday, safeguarding his fledgling government from collapse and preventing a potential wave of political turmoil in France.

The National Assembly’s decision gives Lecornu breathing room as he prepares for his next major political battle: passing the 2026 budget for France — the European Union’s second-largest economy — through a sharply divided lower house before year-end.

Had Lecornu lost the vote, it could have forced President Emmanuel Macron to dissolve the National Assembly and call early elections — a move the French president had hinted at as a last resort.

The prime minister, a close ally of Macron, faced two no-confidence motions tabled by his staunchest critics: the far-Left France Unbowed party and the far-Right National Rally, led by Marine Le Pen.

The first motion, proposed by France Unbowed, failed to reach the required threshold of 289 votes, receiving support from only 271 lawmakers. The chamber, which has 577 seats, was still voting on Le Pen’s motion, though it was expected to fall short as well, lacking backing from the left.

Still, Lecornu's position remains fragile.

In a bid to secure enough support to survive, Lecornu reportedly offered to revisit one of the Macron administration’s most controversial policies — the 2023 pension reform that raises the retirement age from 62 to 64.

Lecornu’s suggestion that the pension reform could be paused appears to have swayed some opposition members to withhold support for the no-confidence motions — for now.

However, if those concessions aren’t honoured during upcoming budget negotiations, lawmakers may change their stance and back future efforts to unseat him.

Lecornu has also pledged not to resort to a controversial constitutional measure — Article 49.3 — which would allow him to pass the budget without parliamentary approval. That tactic, used during the passage of the 2023 pension reform, sparked intense public backlash and protests.

He now faces the uphill task of building consensus for spending cuts, tax increases and other fiscal reforms aimed at reducing France’s rising debt and deficit.

AP