PARIS, Jan. 19 (Xinhua) -- French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu announced Monday that he would resort to Article 49.3 of the Constitution, which allows legislation to be adopted without a parliamentary vote, to break the 2026 state budget deadlock.
Lecornu made the remarks at a press conference after a cabinet meeting, reaffirming that the public deficit would be kept at 5 percent of gross domestic product in 2026.
Lawmakers in France's National Assembly and Senate on Dec. 23 adopted a "special law" proposed by the government to extend the 2025 budget into next year, before resuming work on a final 2026 budget in January.
The move followed the failure of a joint committee of lawmakers from the National Assembly and the Senate on Dec. 19 to reach a compromise on the country's 2026 state budget.
According to France's BFM TV, Article 49.3 effectively allows the opposition to table a motion of censure, which allows them to reject the adoption of the text passed using this constitutional provision and to bring down the government.
Following Lecornu's announcement, Mathilde Panot, president of the La France Insoumise (LFI) parliamentary group, said on social media platform X that "against this budget and for the dignity of Parliament, we will table a motion of censure against the government."
Meanwhile, far-right National Rally (RN) also vows to launch a motion of censure, saying that "Lecornu betrays his promise to the French people," as the prime minister had earlier said that the government would not resort to Article 49.3.
Lecornu's government had just survived on Wednesday two no-confidence votes tabled by LFI and RN, which accused the government of failing to defend France's interests in negotiations over the EU-Mercosur free trade agreement, after deputies in the National Assembly rejected the motions.
The state budget comprises two main components: revenues and expenditures. According to local media, Lecornu will invoke Article 49.3 Tuesday in the National Assembly on the revenue side of the budget bill, and then a second time in a few days on the expenditures side. The bill would then quickly go to the Senate, before returning to the National Assembly for a third and final use of Article 49.3. Each of the three expected uses is likely to be followed by motions of no confidence.
Lecornu's minority government has little room for manoeuvre in France's fractious parliament, where budget battles have already ousted his two predecessors over cost-cutting measures in a little over one year. ■
