By Michel Rose
PARIS (Reuters) -French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu on Friday ruled out using special constitutional powers to ram the budget through parliament without a vote, putting the onus on lawmakers to agree on a compromise.
Lecornu’s pledge came ahead of crunch talks with political rivals – the far-right National Rally (RN) and Socialist party – over how to pass a slimmed-down 2026 budget, a complex legislative balancing act that could lead to his ouster.
Lecornu, who last month became President Emmanuel Macron’s fifth prime minister in two years, has been in complex talks with party leaders and unions to try to find a way to push the budget through a deeply fragmented parliament, split between three ideological blocs.
“In a functioning parliament — one that’s been recently renewed and reflects the face of France — you can’t just force things through,” Lecornu told reporters in his first televised address since being named by Macron three weeks ago.
The special clause in article 49.3 of the constitution allows the prime minister to skip votes and ram bills through parliament, but leaves it exposed to a no-confidence vote that can bring down the government.
Critics argue it is disrespectful of lawmakers and undemocratic, but Lecornu’s predecessors have often used it to pass complex legislation.
By refusing to use it, Lecornu, 39, is throwing the ball into parliament’s camp, forcing lawmakers to agree between themselves on a compromise that could pass the two chambers of parliament before the end-of-year deadline.
“What struck me is that behind the closed doors of my office, compromises are possible, discussions are serious, always sincere,” Lecornu said.
Lecornu said little on substance, but said he was open to “improving” an unpopular pension reform and that discussions could be held on how to make taxes fairer, in particular regarding the 0.1% richest in society, although he dismissed the so-called Zucman tax promoted by the left.
(Additional reporting by Makini Brice, Inti Landauro and Richard Lough; Editing by Sudip Kar-Gupta)
