France’s government managed to narrowly escape a vote of no-confidence in Parliament on Thursday. This outcome offers the nation a brief moment of calm after a period of intense political upheaval, though another fierce battle over the upcoming budget is anticipated.
The motion, initiated by the far-left France Unbowed party, garnered support from 271 lawmakers in the 577-seat lower house. This fell just short of the 289 votes needed to unseat Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu and his cabinet. Lecornu’s survival prevents what would have been the government’s second collapse in less than two weeks, providing a much-needed breath of fresh air after political instability had cast a shadow of deep uncertainty over France’s future and its economy.
Thursday’s result was largely expected, primarily because Lecornu recently proposed delaying an unpopular pension reform that would have raised the retirement age. This significant concession was designed to secure the support of the moderate left-wing Socialist Party, crucial for deflecting the no-confidence motions.
Lecornu, a centrist and close ally of President Emmanuel Macron, leads France’s fourth government in less than a year. He had actually resigned last week after serving less than a month, only to be reappointed just days later. This move sparked considerable anger among opponents who had called for President Macron to either trigger snap legislative elections or step down himself.
While Macron has firmly rejected calls for his resignation, he previously warned that he would dissolve Parliament and call new elections if Lecornu’s government were to fall. The government’s survival on Thursday has, for now, averted that dramatic scenario.
However, this period of calm may prove fleeting. Prime Minister Lecornu now faces the daunting challenge of steering a new budget through a notoriously difficult lower house. The National Assembly is characterized by a fragmented political landscape, comprising diverse left-wing factions, a fragile centrist alliance, a weakened conservative party, and a strong far-right bloc, all of whom find little common ground. This ensures that additional no-confidence votes are highly probable in the coming weeks and months.
With no clear working majority in the National Assembly, France has been governed for the past year by a series of unstable, center-right minority cabinets appointed by an increasingly unpopular President Macron.