French Government manages to avoid another vote of no confidence
The French government on Tuesday survived two votes of no-confidence in parliament over its decision to ram through the expenditure part of the 2026 budget without giving the National Assembly, France's lower house, the final say, France 24 reports.
A total of 267 lawmakers in the National Assembly voted in favour of the no-confidence motion presented by the hard-left France Unbowed party together with the Greens and Communists, whereas 289 votes were required to bring down the government.
Only 140 lawmakers backed a second no-confidence motion, brought by the far right National Rally party.
The motions came days after Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu weathered two separate, largely symbolic no-confidence challenges on Friday, triggered by his decision to ram through the income section of the 2026 state budget without a parliamentary vote.
The National Assembly on Tuesday rejected that motion, along with a separate one tabled by the far right.
Lecornu on Tuesday defended his decision, touting what he called a "breakthrough" budget that would boost defence spending by €6.5 billion ($7.78 billion) and urging a "long-term" view.
The bill must now be reviewed by the upper house before returning to the lower house National Assembly for final adoption.
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