Lecornu says planned military spending effort is ‘essential’
French PM Sébastien Lecornu deems the planned increase in military spending “essential” in light of the “hardening of the world.”
“On July 13, the head of state announced a new effort to accelerate our rearmament. It is essential. I will ensure that this promise is kept,” said Sébastien Lecornu in a message to the armed forces.
Socialists won’t join no-confidence vote
“There will be no confidence vote if the prime minister commits to abandoning Article 49.3 and suspending the pension reform,” Socialist lawmaker Philippe Brun told Reuters.
Article 49.3 of the French Constitution allows the government to pass a bill without a parliamentary vote, unless a motion of no confidence is adopted. It is controversial because it enables the executive to bypass the National Assembly.
Brun’s comments echo those of PS First Secretary Olivier Faure, who told newspaper La Tribune on Sunday: “If the Prime Minister does not meet our demands, which are simply respect for democracy and the French people, we will table our own no-confidence vote.”
The position of the PS and its 60 or so MPs is key to the future of Lecornu’s government, which will face at least two no-confidence votes in the National Assembly this week, tabled by the far-right National Rally and the hard-left La France Insoumise.
National Assembly president Braun-Pivet welcomes the appointment of Lecornu’s second govt
“I welcome the appointment of Sébastien Lecornu’s government. Our institutions are strong and now ready to work in the interests of the French people,” said National Assembly president Yaël Braun-Pivet on X.
“Posturing and political maneuvering must give way to constructive debate in the National Assembly. Let the parliamentary debate begin,” she added.
National Rally and UDR file joint no-confidence motion
“Marine Le Pen and Éric Ciotti filed a joint no-confidence motion this morning on behalf of the RN and UDR groups,” the National Rally announced on X.
“In addition to the security, migration, economic, and budgetary crises, since the beginning of September, our country has been in the midst of a political crisis unprecedented in the Fifth Republic,” they argue, while calling for a dissolution of the National Assembly.
“Only by returning to the people will it be possible to make the major political decisions needed to overcome these multiple crises. The new government appointed by the President of the Republic is not in a position to do so,” they insist.
Eighteen MPs want to introduce proportional representation in legislative elections to ‘unblock the country’
Four MPs from Renaissance, MoDem, PS, and Les Écologistes announced in a press release that they are introducing a bill to implement proportional representation in legislative elections, which they believe will help “unblock the country”.
The bill submitted by Erwan Balanant (MoDem), Guillaume Gouffier Valente (Renaissance), Jérémie Iordanoff (Ecologist) and Marie Récalde (PS) is also supported by 14 other MPs, including former President François Hollande, Macronist Vincent Caure, Ecologist group president Cyrielle Chatelain and PCF group MP Emmanuel Maurel.
All are convinced that the introduction of proportional representation would make it possible to move away from a “block-against-block mentality” that “prevents the effective search for essential compromises”.
Macron says he will continue to serve, ignores calls to resign
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday he would continue to serve to ensure stability in the country, ignoring repeated calls by the opposition for him to resign amid France’s worst political crisis in decades.
“Never forget that the mandate given by the French people is to serve, to serve and serve, and to provide answers to the questions of everyday French people, and to do everything possible for the independence of France,” Macron told reporters in Egypt, just days after re-appointing Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu as head of his government.
“That is the only thing that matters. The rest is the government’s business … I will continue to ensure stability,” added Macron, whose second and final term ends in 2027.
French government bond yields tick up as political uncertainty looms over budget
French government bond yields edged up in line with the wider market on Monday, after Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu unveiled his cabinet, as pressure intensifies to pass a belt-tightening budget.
The yield on benchmark 10-year French OATs was 1.8 basis points higher at 3.484% in early trading, having ended last week’s volatile trading with a 3.3-bp decline.
“We are not optimistic and still see early elections as the most probable outcome,” Jefferies strategist Mohit Kumar said.
“Our worry remains that the political uncertainty would lead to a further rating downgrade from either Moody’s (24th October) and/or S&P (28th November), which would lead to forced selling from Asian accounts. We retain our underweight position in France,” he said.
National Rally to submit no-confidence motion, ready to back other parties’ proposals
“It is in the country’s interest to ensure that Emmanuel Macron is stopped in his tracks: we will therefore vote for no-confidence motions coming from other political parties,” Jordan Bardella, leader of France’s far-right National Rally (RN), said on X.
In an interview on French TV channel TF1, Bardella also said that his party would file a no-confidence motion “in the coming hours”.
‘Lecornu will fall’: Hard-left LFI files no-confidence motion against new French govt
“We just filed a motion of no-confidence that will bring down Lecornu’s new government,” Mathilde Panot, head of the hard-left France Embowed (LFI) in parliament, said on X.
“The country has no time to lose,” she added. “Lecornu will fall and Macron will follow.”
Lecornu set to deliver his policy statement Tuesday afternoon
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu will deliver his policy statement before the French Parliament on Tuesday afternoon, government spokesperson Maud Bregeon said on RTL radio.
The Socialist Party is calling on Lecornu to announce a withdrawal of the country’s controversial 2023 pension reform that increased the retirement age from 62 to 64 to avoid an immediate no-confidence vote.
The 2026 draft budget will be adopted on Tuesday morning during the cabinet meeting, with “a deficit target below 5% of GDP”, Bregeon added.
A bid to quell political turmoil
Sunday’s appointments include a new defence minister – former Labour Minister Catherine Vautrin – who will help oversee French military support for Ukraine and address threats to European security posed by Russia.
Paris police chief Laurent Nuñez, who oversaw security for the 2024 Olympics, becomes interior minister, in charge of national security. Roland Lescure will be finance minister, a crucial job as France tries to produce a budget that tackles ballooning debt and growing poverty.
Among those keeping their jobs is Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, who will travel with Macron to Egypt today for an international ceremony marking the Gaza ceasefire.
A ‘mission-driven government’
“A mission-driven government has been appointed to provide France with a budget before the end of the year,” Sébastien Lecornu wrote on X on Sunday.
Lecornu’s second government, blending political ministers and technocrats, is set to take office today with the goal of submitting a budget on time and navigating a path to avoid a no-confidence vote.
The new team must present a 2026 draft budget before a Tuesday deadline, giving parliament the constitutionally required 70 days to scrutinise the plan before the end of the year.
Lecornu’s second attempt at forming a govt
French President Emmanuel Macron unveiled a new government on Sunday, after marathon talks to cobble together a cabinet and prevent the country from slipping deeper into a political crisis.
The lineup, a mix of old and new faces, is Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu’s second attempt at bringing together a team to overcome months of deadlock and pass a much-needed austerity budget through a deeply divided parliament.
Hello and welcome to this liveblog dedicated to the unfolding political crisis in France.
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