French PM forces part of budget bill through lower house without vote

French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu delivers a speech to announce the use by the French government of article 49.3, a special clause in the French Constitution, to push the first part of the budget bill for 2026 (PLF 2026) through the National Assembly without a vote by lawmakers, during a new debate on the draft budget bill at the National Assembly in Paris, France, January 20, 2026. REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier

PARIS, Jan 20 (Reuters) - France's Prime ‌Minister Sebastien Lecornu made use of a special constitutional power on ‌Tuesday to force part of his 2026 budget bill through the ‌deeply divided lower house of parliament without a vote.

Lecornu invoked Article 49.3 of the Constitution on the income side of the legislation to get it through the lower house, where it ‍had become deadlocked after three months of discussions.