ISTANBUL

France’s left-wing opposition parties boycotted a government meeting on Monday aimed at securing a compromise on the 2026 state budget as Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu faces mounting pressure to avert a legislative stalemate.

The Socialist Party (PS), the Greens, the Communists and La France Insoumise (LFI) all declined to attend the meeting convened by the Ministry for Relations with Parliament, citing the participation of the far-right National Rally (RN).

“We do not attend meetings in the presence of the RN,” the PS and Greens said. LFI lawmaker Aurelie Trouve argued that “democracy takes place in the National Assembly, not in a ministry.”

A government adviser said that the meeting had been “doomed” since several groups refused to sit with RN representatives, saying the objective had been “to open negotiations and find a consensus," BFMTV reported.

After eight days of intense debate, members of parliament concluded their discussions on the “revenue” section of the 2026 draft finance bill on Monday.

The government had initially hoped for a vote on Tuesday, but disagreements across the political spectrum made it impossible to finalize the text.

The bill will now return to the Assembly on Nov. 13, giving lawmakers 10 days to review it before it is sent to the Senate, in accordance with constitutional deadlines.

Without an absolute majority, Lecornu’s government has struggled to gather enough votes to pass the budget.

The rejection of the proposed “Zucman tax” on the ultra-wealthy, championed by the left and expected to raise €15–20 billion ($17-23 billion), has further strained relations with the opposition.

The PS has warned that it will vote against the entire budget if its proposals for wealth redistribution are ignored.

Finance Minister Roland Lescure acknowledged that the government “has already made many concessions” but said a “fiscal gesture” will still be needed to balance the final version of the budget.

Yet he admitted the process could “derail ten times before the end.”

The impasse comes as France’s public accounts watchdog warned of a “worrying” financial outlook, with the social security deficit projected to hit €23 billion ($26 billion) in 2025, its highest level in over a decade outside the COVID-19 years.

While the government has ruled out using Article 49.3 to bypass Parliament, the lack of a working majority leaves the budget’s fate uncertain ahead of constitutional deadlines requiring its adoption before year’s end.