Article 49.3
Sébastien Lecornu resorts to 49.3 for third time to adopt 2026 budget
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Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu engaged his government's responsibility for the third time on Friday, January 30, 2026, using Article 49.3 of the Constitution to pass the 2026 finance bill at the National Assembly. This procedure, the final step after four months of debates, exposes the text to two expected censure motions on Monday, February 2, whose rejection should lead to its definitive adoption. However, a procedural error makes the voted text inaccurate, particularly regarding the balance between tax increases and savings.
Former Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne urges Sébastien Lecornu's government to take responsibility for adopting the 2026 budget by year-end, including by resorting to Article 49.3. She defends this constitutional tool as a reasonable option amid parliamentary reluctance. This statement comes as threats of censure loom over the executive.
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Senate President Gérard Larcher has called on Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu to consider Article 49.3 of the Constitution to pass France's 2026 budget. In an interview with Le Figaro published on December 3, 2025, he defends it as a 'constitutional weapon' amid the budgetary deadlock. Républicains leader Bruno Retailleau also urged Lecornu to embrace this tool.