The no-confidence motion aims to condemn the EU’s trade deal with the Mercosur bloc.
Published on January 14, 2026
French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu is both survivors Opinions of Disbelief In Parliament, the way has been cleared for the government to focus on another budget showdown in the coming days.
The no-confidence motion filed by the far-right National Rally (RN) and the far-left France Unbowed (LFI) was aimed at protesting the European Union. Trade Agreements with the South American bloc Mercado Comun del Sur (Southern Common Market, or Mercosur).
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Despite opposition from France, EU member states last week approved the signing of the long-discussed agreement with Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay.
France’s RN and LFI political parties accused the government of not doing enough to prevent it.
“Inside the country, you are a government of vassals serving the rich. Outside, you are humiliating our nation in front of the European Commission and the US empire,” chief LFI lawmaker Mathilde Panot told the government, speaking in parliament ahead of a no-confidence vote on Wednesday.
Lecornu said the time spent on the no-confidence vote was delaying substantive discussions on the country’s 2026 budget, which he said political leaders should be focusing on instead.
“You are acting like snipers lying in wait, shooting the executives in the back the moment we face international disruptions,” he said.
But on Wednesday, both proposals failed. The motion tabled by the LFI received only 256 votes in favor, 32 votes short of the required number of votes for the motion to pass. A second proposal by the far right received 142 votes in favor and failed.
The Socialist Party had refused to support the no-confidence motion, and conservative Republicans also said they would not vote to condemn the government on Mercosur.
A French government source told Reuters news agency that the next step will be tough budget talks where Lecornu has the option of invoking Article 49.3 of the constitution, which would enable him to push through the finance bill without a vote after negotiating the text with all groups except the RN and LFI.
That option could lead to a further motion of no confidence, even as the country’s deficit remains close to 5 percent, with lawmakers eager to end weeks of wrangling over the budget.
Government spokeswoman Maud Breggen said on Tuesday that “nothing is excluded” to pass the budget.
France, the eurozone’s second-largest economy, is under pressure to reduce its large budget deficit. But political instability has slowed those efforts since Macron’s snap election in 2024 resulted in a hung parliament.
Budget disputes have already brought down three governments since the 2024 election, including former prime minister Michel Barnier, who lost a no-confidence vote over his own budget bill.