French Prime Minister Survives No-Confidence Vote Amid Budget Dispute

Kathmandu. A motion of no confidence against French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne has failed.

Borne utilized constitutional powers on Tuesday to push parts of the 2026 budget through parliament, gaining the support of the Socialists.

A second no-confidence motion filed by the far-right also failed.

Borne will have to use the same constitutional power twice to turn the full budget into law, which will subject her to further no-confidence motions.

“The issues are now deadlocked. The motion can no longer be voted on. We believe the country must have a budget,” the Prime Minister said on Tuesday.

This move brings Borne back to the brink of seeking a parliamentary approval, an effort to escape the fate of her two predecessors who were ousted during budget negotiations last year.

Borne admitted on Monday, ‘with a degree of regret and a little humiliation,’ that she had to use force to push the budget through.

Ahead of Friday's vote, the Socialists' maneuver to vote against the motion was described as a ‘less bad solution to the problem,’ and the recent draft is found to have introduced ‘reforms’ including a raise in benefits for the lowest-paid employees and a one-euro meal budget for students.

Another no-confidence motion is likely after the second part of the budget passes on Friday, but the budget proposal must first be reviewed by the upper house Senate before returning to the National Assembly for final approval.