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French Assembly Adopts 2026 Budget After Censure Motions Fail

Lecornu secured passage using Article 49.3 after Socialist non-support of censure proved decisive.

Le premier ministre français Sébastien Lecornu lors d’un débat sur les motions de censure contre le projet de loi de finances 2026, à l’Assemblée nationale à Paris le 2 février 2026.
Sébastien Lecornu [Adnan Farzat / NurPhoto / NurPhoto via AFP]
Après le rejet des motions de censure populistes, la loi de finances 2026 a été adoptée à l’issue d’un marathon inédit dans la Ve République.
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Overview

  • The National Assembly rejected two final no-confidence bids, with 260 votes for the left (excluding PS) motion and 135 for the RN-led motion, short of the 289 needed to topple the government.
  • Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu invoked Article 49.3 three times to end a months-long impasse and relied on negotiations that kept the Socialists from backing censure.
  • The budget targets a public deficit of about 5% of GDP in 2026 and includes a €50 monthly increase to the prime d’activité, €1 meals for students and adjustments to housing benefits (APL).
  • Revenue measures retain a surtax on large companies and introduce a new €2 levy on small parcels, alongside other compromises forged during talks with the PS.
  • Lecornu will refer the law to the Constitutional Council and LFI plans a challenge, as the government pivots to decentralisation, energy, defence, agricultural support and end-of-life legislation with limited parliamentary leeway.