After months of bitter political deadlock, France finally has a budget for 2026. But the way it arrived speaks volumes about the country’s deepening divisions, according to Euro News.
On Monday evening, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu’s government survived two no confidence votes in parliament, automatically adopting the controversial budget without lawmakers ever actually voting on it. The dramatic finale came after Lecornu invoked Article 49.3 of the constitution on Friday, a constitutional maneuver allowing the government to bypass parliament entirely.
The far right National Rally filed one no confidence motion, left wing parties another. Both failed, ensuring the government’s survival but hardly its legitimacy.
A Parliament at War With Itself
France’s troubles began with snap elections in 2024 that produced a hung parliament. Since then, lawmakers have been unable to forge any compromise on tackling the nation’s crumbling public finances. With no stable majority and patience running thin, Lecornu chose the nuclear option; forcing the budget through.
During Monday’s fiery debate, the prime minister accused the opposition of creating “permanent disorder,” calling their budget obstruction reckless. The National Rally fired back, condemning what they called a “budget of punishment and deprivation” and demanding the government’s ouster.
The budget itself aims to slash France’s public deficit from 5.4% of GDP in 2025 to 5% in 2026. To get there, businesses will bear the brunt facing over €7 billion in new taxes on large corporate profits. The state deficit remains stubbornly high at around €132 billion.
Even within Lecornu’s own camp, doubt lingers. Lawmaker Agnès Pannier-Runacher warned the budget “does not prepare the future,” noting that some companies have already frozen hiring while awaiting fiscal clarity.
A Left Divided, Socialists Hold the Cards
The left remains fractured. While hard left France Unbowed and the Greens pushed aggressively for a no confidence vote, the Socialist Party refused to cooperate effectively saving the government. In exchange, they secured a key concession: suspending the deeply unpopular pension reform raising the retirement age from 62 to 64 until after next year’s presidential election.
France now has its budget. What it still lacks is political peace or any clear path toward finding it.
