PM Sébastien Lecornu uses constitutional powers to pass the budget after surviving no-confidence.
France has approved its 2026 budget after months of political gridlock that threatened both domestic stability and market confidence. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu invoked special constitutional provisions to pass the budget without a full parliamentary vote, navigating a series of no-confidence motions along the way. The government survived the final two votes on Monday evening, securing its immediate survival.
The budget deal came after negotiations with the Socialist Party, which agreed not to oppose the government in exchange for concessions, including a suspension of proposed pension reforms that would have raised the retirement age from 62 to 64.
