By Necva Tastan Sevinc
ISTANBUL (AA) - French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu on Friday announced he will renounce the use of Article 49.3 of the Constitution, a controversial provision that lets governments pass bills through parliament without a vote.
The decision, made public outside the prime minister’s office at Matignon before a day of talks with opposition leaders, marks a major change in President Emmanuel Macron’s governing strategy after years of frequent reliance on the measure by his predecessors, BFMTV reported.
“Each deputy must have power,” Lecornu said, pledging a “new method of sharing power with the National Assembly.” He acknowledged the failure to build a broad coalition but said compromises remain possible.
Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right National Rally, called the move “rather respectful of the Constitution and more respectful of democracy than what has been done in recent years.”
But she warned there was “no rupture with Macronism” and said her party would decide whether to back the budget or table a censure motion after Lecornu’s general policy speech.
Socialist leader Olivier Faure welcomed a “change of method” but urged a parliamentary vote on pensions reform by December.
“Renouncing 49.3 means accepting that Parliament alone will have the last word,” Faure, though he warned that Lecornu’s budget plans remain “well below” expectations.
Green leader Marine Tondelier accused the prime minister of pursuing a “chloroform strategy” meant to “put us to sleep by doing nothing.”
Communist Party chief Fabien Roussel said it would be “harsh” to censure a government that had abandoned 49.3 but cautioned that “there must be no tricks behind this.”
The radical left-wing La France Insoumise (LFI) vowed to continue pushing for a censure motion.
“We will oppose this shipwreck and protect the country from the grave consequences of Macronist survival,” said LFI coordinator Manuel Bompard.
- Public opinion
According to polling institute Elabe, seven in 10 French citizens oppose the use of Article 49.3, widely seen as a denial of democracy.
Lecornu, who has yet to form his government more than three weeks after his appointment, must now steer sensitive reforms -- including pensions, unemployment insurance and purchasing power -- through a divided Assembly without the constitutional shortcut.
“France must have its budget adopted by Dec. 31,” his entourage told BFMTV, signaling difficult negotiations ahead.