French PM Lecornu survives second no-confidence vote

The National Assembly, France’s lower house of parliament, has rejected a no-confidence motion against the government of Sébastien Lecornu.

National Assembly Speaker Yaël Braun-Pivet announced after the vote that the required majority had not been reached and the motion was rejected, Caliber.Az reports, citing France 24.

A total of 271 lawmakers voted in favour of the government’s dismissal, while 289 votes were needed to pass the no-confidence motion.

The vote came amid political turbulence surrounding Prime Minister Lecornu, who was appointed by President Emmanuel Macron in early September after the collapse of François Bayrou’s short-lived government.

Lecornu’s first cabinet, unveiled on October 6, drew heavy criticism for retaining key figures from the previous administration, prompting his brief resignation just hours later.

Reappointed by Macron four days afterwards, he was tasked with stabilising the government and steering the 2026 budget through a fractured parliament.

In an effort to ease tensions, Lecornu suspended the contentious pension reform that had raised the retirement age from 62 to 64 — a move aimed at appeasing left-wing factions.

Despite this, opposition parties have continued to challenge his authority, with another no-confidence motion from the far right reportedly in preparation.

By Khagan Isayev