French PM survives no-trust votes after giving in on pension reform

Despite reprieve, the motions underscore fragility of the Macron administration

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French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu speaking at the National Assembly in Paris on Oct 16. If Mr Lecornu had lost either vote of confidence, he and his ministers would have had to resign immediately. PHOTO: BLOOMBERG

(BLOOMBERG)

French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu survived two no-confidence votes in Parliament on Oct 16, winning crucial backing from the Socialist Party, thanks to his pledge to suspend President Emmanuel Macron’s contested pension reform.

The two motions presented by the hard-left France Unbowed and the far-right National Rally (RN) secured just 271 and 144 votes respectively — well short of the 289 votes needed to bring down Mr Lecornu’s days-old government.

Mr Lecornu’s offer to mothball the pension reform until after the 2027 presidential election helped sway the Socialists, giving the government a lifeline in the deeply fragmented National Assembly.

Despite the reprieve, the motions underscored the fragility of Mr Macron’s administration midway through his final term.