French government survives no-confidence votes over budget

French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu delivers a speech during a debate before votes on two no-confidence motions against the French government, one tabled by members of parliament of La France Insoumise (France Unbowed - LFI) allied with the Greens and the Communists, and an other one tabled by the Rassemblement National (National Rally - RN) and the UDR (the Union des Droites), after the use by French government of the 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, at the National Assembly in Paris, France, January 23, 2026. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes

PARIS, ‌Jan 23 (Reuters) - The French government survived two votes of no-confidence in parliament on Friday ‌over its decision to ram through the income part of the 2026 budget without ‌giving the National Assembly the final say.

A total of 269 lawmakers voted in favor of the no-confidence motion presented by the hard-left France Unbowed together with the Greens and Communists, whereas 288 votes were required to bring down the government. ‍Even fewer backed a second no-confidence motion, brought by the ‍far right.