French prime minister survives two no-confidence motions
Sébastien Lecornu, the third French government minister in less than a year, on Tuesday called for suspending the 2023 pension reform to prevent the Socialist opposition, which had demanded the measure, from backing a censure motion.
Sébastien Lecornu
French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu survived two censure motions in parliament Thursday, days after proposing a suspension of a key reform by President Emmanuel Macron to ease the political crisis.
Lecornu, the third French prime minister in less than a year, on Tuesday called for suspending the 2023 pension reform to prevent the Socialist opposition, which had demanded the measure, from supporting a censure motion.
Although he survived, Lecornu came close to defeat. A censure motion tabled by La France Insoumise (LFI, radical left) fell just 18 votes short, with seven Socialist lawmakers breaking party discipline to support the motion to topple the government.
The second motion, led by far-right leader Marine Le Pen, fell even further short of the 289 votes needed for a majority, receiving just 144 votes due to the left’s refusal to back it.
LFI accepted the prime minister’s offer to negotiate and secured his agreement to pause the pension reforms, despite Macron’s long-standing refusal to suspend or repeal them.
Despite the announcement, uncertainty remains over how the suspension will be implemented. Lecornu suggested the day before that it be included as an amendment to his 2026 budget bill, which Parliament is expected to vote on before year’s end.
The budget projections call for a fiscal effort of 30 billion euros ($34.97 billion), largely achieved through spending cuts aimed at containing public debt, which stands at nearly 3.4 trillion euros, or 115.6% of GDP.
The socialist dilemma
Socialist leader Olivier Faure, however, warned Thursday that “if the government does not keep its promises,” particularly regarding “the suspension of the pension reform,” they will move to censure it “quickly.”
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