BRUSSELS

France's National Assembly adopted the expenditure section of the 2026 state budget Tuesday, despite two censure motions filed in response to the government's use of Article 49.3 of the constitution, a powerful tool allowing it to pass legislation without a parliamentary vote.

The first motion, submitted by left-wing deputies, was rejected with 267 votes, falling short of the 289 required, according to French broadcaster BFMTV.

The second motion, proposed by the far-right National Rally (RN) party, also failed, receiving only 140 votes.

Last Friday, the government of Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu had already survived similar censure attempts against the revenue component of the budget.

The Socialist Party, which welcomed concessions in the new budget draft, chose not to support the left-wing censure motion.

During the parliamentary debate, Lecornu stressed that after "over 350 hours of discussion, there were no credible alternatives" to the government's budget plan.

Following the Assembly vote, the 2026 state budget is scheduled to be examined by the Senate on Thursday and will return to the Assembly on Friday for final consideration.

France has faced months of political uncertainty linked to the approval of the 2026 budget, which triggered motions of no confidence in parliament and sharpened tensions within the governing coalition.

Lecornu, who took office last year, has repeatedly said his priority is to ensure political stability and pass key economic reforms, including the budget package.