French government survives new no-confidence vote over budget debate

By Nur Asena Erturk

The French government survived on Monday a new no-confidence vote over the budget debate, public broadcaster Franceinfo reported.

The motion, initiated by the left-wing party France Unbowed (La France Insoumise or LFI), could not gather the 289 votes required and only got 115, as the Socialist Party and the far-right National Rally refused to back the motion.

French Premier Francois Bayrou faced the new motion after invoking Article 49.3 of the Constitution last week to bypass parliamentary approval and push through the second part of the 2025 Social Security budget (PLFSS), which is about the revenue section of the budget.

Lawmakers rejected the no-confidence motion, and thus the revenue section of the PLFSS has been adopted.

Bayrou recalled that there was a third section to adopt so that France would be "provided with a budget," and invoked Art. 49.3 to force through the PLFSS' expenditure section.

Last week, Bayrou already survived two no-confidence motions led by LFI and its allies, largely due to the Socialists and National Rally withholding their votes.

The Socialists are said to be planning to submit a new no-confidence motion on Feb. 19 to express their disagreement with the government, but without preventing it from adopting the budget, as the government had failed to pass it before the year-end deadline, creating economic uncertainty.

Since his nomination as prime minister on Dec. 13, Francois Bayrou faced the first no-confidence vote in January, and two others last week.