French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has narrowly survived two no-confidence votes in the National Assembly, highlighting the deep divisions within the country’s parliament and casting uncertainty over the future of Emmanuel Macron’s minority government.
The first no-confidence motion, initiated by the left-wing France Unbowed (La France Insoumise), came just 18 votes short of the 289 required to topple the government, garnering 271 votes. A second motion, led by Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally, received only 144 votes and was not expected to succeed.
In a tense address to lawmakers, Lecornu warned that bringing down the government would create “political chaos” and urged MPs to engage in “parliamentary debate” on the upcoming 2026 national budget, rather than plunging the country into instability.
The government’s survival was partly secured by the Socialist Party leadership, which withheld support for the France Unbowed motion. This came after Lecornu announced a suspension of President Macron’s deeply unpopular pension reforms, which aimed to gradually raise the retirement age from 62 to 64. The concession was seen as a strategic move to placate left-leaning MPs.
Despite the party’s official position, seven Socialist lawmakers defied leadership and voted to oust the government, underlining fractures within the opposition itself.
France Unbowed leader Mathilde Panot reacted sharply to the outcome: “There were only a few votes lacking to bring down Lecornu and his government. Our first thought is for the country, for all those who will suffer the cruel politics that have been announced for the budget.”
Lecornu now faces the daunting task of passing the 2026 budget through a bitterly divided lower house by the December 31 deadline — a challenge that could define the remainder of Macron’s second term.
With the government’s fragility laid bare, analysts say further political battles are all but certain in the months ahead.
