A narrow victory that keeps the 2026 process alive
French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu cleared a critical hurdle on Tuesday after the National Assembly voted in favour of the 2026 social security budget by 247 votes to 234. The outcome spares the prime minister from a major political setback and preserves momentum ahead of the main budget vote due before year end.
The bill now returns to the Senate for further examination before heading back to the Assembly for a final reading. Assembly speaker Yael Braun-Pivet called the result a positive signal, noting that the likelihood of the social security budget’s final adoption is now “immense.”
Lecornu, appointed in September by President Emmanuel Macron, has been focused almost exclusively on steering the two 2026 budget laws through a deeply fragmented parliament. Since the snap elections of June 2024, the National Assembly has been divided into three nearly equal blocs — centre, left, and far right — leaving no group with a governing majority.
Concessions to the Socialists shift the balance
To secure sufficient support, Lecornu engaged in extensive negotiations across 11 parliamentary groups, warning that failure to pass the budgets would further darken France’s financial outlook. His main objective was winning over the Socialist Party (PS), whose roughly 70 deputies have been uneasy about their alliance with the far left.
In a significant concession, Lecornu agreed to suspend Macron’s contested reform raising the statutory retirement age to 64. He also pledged not to use Article 49-3, the constitutional tool allowing a government to impose legislation without a vote. These assurances persuaded PS leaders Olivier Faure and Boris Vallaud, who praised Lecornu’s compromise and led their MPs to back the budget.
However, the concessions alienated parts of Lecornu’s own centre right bloc. Former prime minister Edouard Philippe and other influential figures argued that the bill fails to address France’s worsening public finances. Republican leader Bruno Retailleau denounced the budget as a “fiscal hold-up,” claiming it prolongs Macron’s political survival while driving France toward a financial dead end.
Fierce opposition from both extremes
The far left France Unbowed (LFI) reacted sharply to the Socialist shift. LFI’s Mathilde Panot accused the PS of abandoning its principles and “leaving the opposition.” The hard right National Rally, the largest party in the Assembly with about 120 seats, also voted against the bill.
The divisions highlight the challenges facing Lecornu, Macron’s fourth prime minister since 2024. Prior premiers Michel Barnier and François Bayrou were both forced out after failing to control France’s mounting debt or pass essential budget legislation.
France’s two budget laws — one for social security, including hospitals and pensions, and another for general state spending — have operated under heavy deficits for years. Tuesday’s vote gives Lecornu temporary breathing room, but analysts warn that the decisive test still lies ahead.
The tougher vote still to come
The main budget must pass before the end of the year. Analysts previously gave Lecornu little chance of success if the social security bill failed, but even with Tuesday’s win, the outlook remains uncertain. Should the main budget be rejected, the government would be forced again to introduce a special law allowing the state to function from January 1 using 2025 allocations — a scenario already used at the start of this year.
Still, Tuesday’s outcome is widely viewed as a validation of Lecornu’s pragmatic, behind the scenes strategy: a steady search for cross party support in an Assembly where no bloc holds dominance. Whether that method can deliver the full 2026 budget remains the defining question of Macron’s current government.
