January 28, 2026
The French government, headed by Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu, survived two no-confidence votes over its decision to pass the expenditure part of the 2026 budget without allowing the National Assembly the final say. The no-confidence votes follow similar motions over the spending part of the bill last week. The budget will now be reviewed in the Senate’s upper house before returning to the lower house for the final vote. PM Lecornu is likely to use constitutional powers to force the full budget into law, which may trigger further no-confidence votes and political instability.