Source: New York Times
“Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu of France announced on Monday that he would push through the country’s long-awaited budget without a vote in the lower house of Parliament, leading opposition lawmakers to announce plans to topple his minority government with a vote of no confidence. Mr. Lecornu’s decision followed more than four months of failed negotiations to reach a consensus over the budget in France’s gridlocked Parliament, where the prime minister’s centrist coalition lacks a majority. To break that deadlock, Mr. Lecornu said that he would use a contentious constitutional tool to force through the budget on Tuesday, a tool that he previously pledged not to use.” (01/19/26)