Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has asked the Interior Minister to study organizing early legislative elections on the dates of the municipal polls, March 15 and 22, 2026, in anticipation of a possible government censure. This follows motions of censure filed by the Rassemblement National and La France Insoumise against the Mercosur treaty, despite France's opposition to the deal. Emmanuel Macron and Lecornu are considering dissolving the National Assembly if the government falls.
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has instructed Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez to prepare for possible early legislative elections coinciding with the municipal elections scheduled for March 15 and 22, 2026. This decision, reported by AFP and Le Monde on January 9, 2026, comes after motions of censure were filed by the Rassemblement National (RN) and La France Insoumise (LFI), aiming to topple the government in reaction to the EU member states' adoption of the Mercosur free-trade agreement.
France has announced it will vote against this deal, as confirmed by Emmanuel Macron, who criticized the text for not justifying the exposure of sensitive agricultural sectors. The motions will be debated in the National Assembly between January 13 and 14. If successful, the government would fall, leading to the dissolution of the Assembly, a decision that falls to the President of the Republic. According to government sources, Macron and Lecornu are aligned on this option.
Sébastien Lecornu criticized on X the RN and LFI's "cynical partisan postures," accusing the motions of delaying already stalled budget discussions. "France has a clear position on Mercosur: we will vote against, no surprise," he wrote, noting that these actions weaken France's voice abroad. For his part, LFI leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon stated: "We’re not afraid of the election," inviting the government to dissolve if necessary.
This situation unfolds amid ongoing budget deadlock for 2026. The budget not having been adopted by the end of 2025, a special law was passed to ensure continuity of public services. Debates in the finance committee rejected the revenue section, making compromise unlikely. The executive is now considering invoking Article 49.3 to force adoption, while exploring ordinances, though this is contested by the opposition as a "democratic forfeiture."
Lecornu's strategy aims to tighten party ranks in the face of early election risks, especially in a fragmented parliamentary landscape where socialists and Republicans hesitate to back the censures.
