BY EMMANUEL OGBONNA
French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu on Tuesday invoked a special constitutional power to push part of the government’s 2026 budget bill through the National Assembly without a vote, a dramatic move reflecting the deep divisions and prolonged deadlock in France’s lower house of parliament.
Lecornu used Article 49.3 of the Constitution to adopt the revenue section of the budget legislation after months of inconclusive negotiations left the chamber unable to reach agreement. The procedure allows the government to bypass a parliamentary vote unless lawmakers succeed in bringing down the cabinet through a no-confidence motion.
“The budget bill is blocked and has become impossible to put to a vote, whatever the political configuration or circumstances,” Lecornu told lawmakers as he announced the decision. “And yet France needs a budget.”
The decision immediately triggered a political backlash. The hard-left France Unbowed party said it had filed a motion of no confidence against the government, while the far-right National Rally signaled it would follow suit. The votes on the motions are expected to take place later this week.
Despite the challenge, Lecornu’s minority government appears likely to survive. Officials and parliamentary sources said the prime minister has secured enough backing, particularly from Socialist lawmakers, to fend off attempts to topple the cabinet. If the government withstands the confidence votes, the budget process will move forward to the Senate before returning to the National Assembly for further consideration.
Lecornu will still face additional hurdles. He is expected to once again resort to Article 49.3 to push through the spending side of the budget bill in the lower house before making a final push to adopt the full package. A government official said the administration expects the 2026 budget to be definitively approved in the first half of February.
The prime minister had previously pledged to avoid using constitutional force to pass the budget, but that position became untenable as negotiations dragged on for more than three months. Despite offering a series of concessions to different political groups, the government failed to assemble a stable majority capable of passing the legislation through a vote.
The use of Article 49.3, while legal, remains politically sensitive in France and is often criticized by opposition parties as undermining parliamentary democracy. Still, successive governments have argued it is sometimes necessary to overcome legislative paralysis, particularly in periods of minority rule.
Lecornu’s move brings France closer to resolving months of uncertainty over its public finances. The budget aims to cap the country’s fiscal deficit at no more than 5 percent of projected economic output in 2026, a key target as Paris seeks to reassure markets and European partners about its commitment to restoring budgetary discipline amid slowing growth and rising public debt.