The National Assembly rejected two motions of censure against Sébastien Lecornu's government on Tuesday, allowing the adoption in new reading of the 2026 finance bill. The left-wing motion excluding the PS garnered 267 votes, short of the 289 required, while the RN's received 140. The bill is now sent to the Senate for review.
On January 27, 2026, the National Assembly ended a tense session by rejecting two motions of censure filed in response to Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu's repeated use of Article 49.3. He engaged his government's responsibility to pass the spending section and the overall state budget for 2026, despite his initial promise not to resort to this procedure.
The first motion, led by the left excluding the Socialist Party (LFI, ecologists, and communists), was rejected with 267 votes in favor, short of the 289 needed to topple the government. A similar motion had failed the previous Friday with 269 votes. The PS abstained, praising advances such as 8 billion euros in fair fiscal revenues and 12 billion for purchasing power. Ecologist deputy Christine Arrighi denounced an «unjust budget» that «sacrifices ecology» and imposes «unprecedented budget cuts».
The second motion, filed by the Rassemblement National (RN) and its UDR allies, garnered only 140 votes, compared to 142 the day before. RN deputy Jean-Philippe Tanguy criticized a budget that «does not control spending» and worsens debt, stating: «The more you spend French money, the more their problems worsen». Éric Ciotti (UDR) called it «without vision, without courage, and without faith in the economy».
The adoption of the budget in new reading allows its transmission to the Senate, which will review it on Thursday and may reject it outright, paving the way for a third 49.3 on Friday, followed by motions on February 2 or 3. State mission expenditures reach nearly 594 billion euros, up 11.5 billion from 2025, with notable increases for Defense (66.5 billion, +6 billion) and financial commitments (+4 billion). Lecornu defended his text: «Spending is really slowing down», regretting the lack of a «credible alternative». LFI deputy Hadrien Clouet ironized: «You have sacrificed everything [...] to a 5% debt».
This vote concludes four months of chaotic parliamentary debates, marked by 150 hours of motions, according to macronist deputy Julie Delpech. Groups like Liot, Horizons, and Democrats refused censure to prioritize stability, despite criticisms of the lack of vision.
