French Premier Lecornu Survives Two No-Confidence Votes Easily

Articles , English , Snippets , / Thursday, October 16th, 2025

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Sources Anadolu Agency
Istanbul, October 16 (AA) – France’s reappointed Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu successfully survived two consecutive no-confidence motions on Thursday, both falling well short of the 289-vote supermajority required to topple the government.
The first motion, initiated by the far-left France Unbowed (LFI) party, received 271 votes in favor and 18 against, leading the National Assembly to reject it. The second, proposed by the far-right National Rally (RN), secured only 144 votes.
Olivier Faure, first secretary of the Socialist Party, signaled that his center-left party will not file a separate no-confidence motion “as long as Parliament is respected.” Lecornu’s decision to suspend implementation of controversial pension reforms until the next presidential election reportedly influenced the party’s stance.
The pension reforms, originally introduced under former Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne in 2023, seek to gradually raise France’s retirement age from 62 to 64, sparking some of the longest strikes in decades. Lecornu told lawmakers he plans to propose legislation this fall to freeze the reforms until January 2028.
France has faced months of political turbulence, including repeated Cabinet collapses and budget standoffs. Prime Minister Michel Barnier’s center-right government fell last December after losing a confidence vote over the 2025 budget. His successor, Francois Bayrou, also failed to secure parliamentary approval for the 2026 draft budget, which included controversial proposals to abolish several public holidays.
President Emmanuel Macron appointed Lecornu as prime minister on September 9, and after a brief resignation on October 6, reappointed him on October 10 to navigate the ongoing political instability.