The French National Assembly on February 2, 2026, rejected two no-confidence motions against Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu's government, definitively adopting the 2026 finance bill after a four-month saga of intense debates. The compromise text targets a 5% GDP deficit—deemed insufficient by experts—following concessions, three uses of Article 49.3, and opposition criticism, with the bill now headed to the Constitutional Council for review before late promulgation.
The adoption came before a nearly empty hemicycle, with lawmakers rejecting a Rassemblement National (RN) motion (135 votes) and a left-wing motion excluding the Socialist Party (260 votes), both short of the 289 needed. This ended a grueling process of 350 hours of debate that began on July 15, 2025, under former Prime Minister François Bayrou, whose government fell in autumn 2025, paving the way for Lecornu's reappointment.
Lecornu hailed the outcome as 'the result of a compromise, integrating amendments from all groups,' celebrating on X that 'France finally has a budget' while controlling spending without tax hikes on households or businesses. Public Accounts Minister Amélie de Montchalin called it 'useful to the French from today.' Despite an initial pledge against it, Lecornu invoked Article 49.3 three times after parliamentary deals faltered, including concessions to PS deputies on issues like suspending the 2023 retirement reform.
Key measures include extending high-income contributions, taxes on small packages and tips, increased social and local spending, and deficit-reduction efforts—though RN leader Jordan Bardella decried €30 billion in new business levies as a 'tax-dripping budget,' and LFI's Mathilde Panot and Clémence Guetté criticized PS alignment as a 'Hollande-Lecornu budget' with deep cuts. Moody’s projects a 5.2% deficit, echoing Pierre Moscovici of the Cour des comptes that 5% is insufficient.
Assembly President Yaël Braun-Pivet praised the 'stability through compromise' but called for reforming budgetary rules to avoid such ordeals. Gabriel Attal (Ensemble pour la République) saw it as signaling 'the quinquennat is over,' while Édouard Philippe allies dubbed it 'the end of Macronism.' Having survived six no-confidence votes, Lecornu is set to remain in office until the presidential election, though with limited maneuverability amid polls.
The text faces Constitutional Council scrutiny before promulgation around February 10—40 days late—while Bercy prepares for a tougher 2027 budget requiring double the effort ahead of the presidential race.
