By: The Trek News Desk
The French government has successfully withstood a second no-confidence motion linked to the passage of the 2026 budget, allowing Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu’s administration to remain in power for now. The vote was held in the National Assembly on Friday (January 23, 2026), where the opposition failed to muster the numbers required to bring down the government.
The no-confidence motion was introduced by the far-right National Rally (RN) party and received the backing of 142 lawmakers. However, it fell well short of the 288 votes needed for approval, leading to its defeat.
Opposition parties had moved the motion in protest against the government’s decision to push through the revenue component of the 2026 budget without seeking a final vote in the National Assembly. Critics accused the administration of bypassing parliamentary scrutiny and undermining democratic procedures.
Earlier, a similar no-confidence motion filed by left-wing parties over the same issue had also failed to gain sufficient support. With both attempts unsuccessful, Prime Minister Lecornu is now expected to invoke Article 49.3 of the French Constitution to enforce the expenditure side of the budget without a parliamentary vote.
Political observers note that while the use of Article 49.3 could help the government secure passage of the budget, it may also heighten political tensions and trigger further no-confidence motions in the coming weeks.
Source: News Agencies
