French PM Lecornu keeps job after surviving two no-confidence votes
Embattled French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has held on to his job after surviving two no-confidence votes in parliament on Thursday, one lodged by the far left and the other by the far right.
A motion tabled by far-left France Unbowed gained support from 271 lawmakers, just 18 short of the 289 needed for a majority.
Soon afterwards, a motion sponsored by Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally and its allies was defeated, receiving the backing of 144 lawmakers in the 577-seat National Assembly.
Lecornu had been widely expected to survive the votes after securing support from the Socialists by suspending an unpopular pension reform that would have raised the retirement age from 62 to 64.
“To work,” Lecornu said after leaving the assembly following the votes, which followed weeks of political crisis.
Lecornu’s predecessor, François Bayrou, lost a confidence vote at the beginning of September over the austerity budget he had put forward for next year.
President Emmanuel Macron then appointed Lecornu, who resigned after less than four weeks, before being surprisingly reappointed on Friday.
The French cabinet and National Assembly are now confronted with the task of agreeing an austerity budget partly aimed at curbing the country’s soaring national debt.
The powerful CGT labour confederation has announced protests for November 6, charging that the budget places a burden on pensioners. The assembly is also to debate the long-term future of the country’s pension system.
Observers see Lecornu’s reappointment as Macron’s last chance to see out his second term, which ends in 2027, without further loss of confidence. Opposition leaders and even some of his former supporters have queried whether he should stay in office.
France’s national debt is currently running at 114% of gross domestic product, the third highest in the European Union following Greece and Italy.
The annual budgetary deficit is at 5.8%. Both figures are well above EU rules, and France has been subject to an EU excessive deficit procedure since July 2024. Lecornu is aiming to cut the budgetary deficit to 4.7% for 2026.
Even if the budget does get passed, the backing Lecornu received from lawmakers on Thursday is not likely to bring an end to France’s political troubles.
Since snap parliamentary election called by Macron in mid-2024, the National Assembly has been split into several political blocs, none of which commands a governing majority or can form a stable coalition. Lecornu’s cabinet is already the fourth government since that vote.
