French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu on Friday ruled out using special constitutional powers to ram the budget through parliament without a vote, putting the onus on lawmakers to agree on a compromise.
Lecornu’s pledge came ahead of crunch talks with political rivals – the far-right National Rally (RN) and Socialist Party – over how to pass a slimmed-down 2026 budget, a complex legislative balancing act that could lead to his ouster.
The two parties welcomed Lecornu’s decision but said that was not enough, and that the new prime minister would have to do more if he wanted them to agree not to vote him out.
Lecornu, who last month became President Emmanuel Macron’s fifth prime minister in two years, has been in complex talks with party leaders and unions to find a way to push the budget through a deeply fragmented parliament.
“In a functioning parliament — one that’s been recently renewed and reflects the face of France — you can’t just force things through,” Lecornu said in his first televised address since being named by Macron three weeks ago. The special clause in article 49.3 of the constitution allows prime ministers to skip votes and ram bills through parliament, but exposes them to a no-confidence vote that can bring down the government.
It has been criticised as disrespectful of lawmakers and undemocratic, but Lecornu’s predecessors have often used it to pass complex legislation.