French Assembly rejects Socialist motion to block 2027 budget debate

The French National Assembly rejected a preemptive motion from the Socialist Party to block the 2027 budget bill on Tuesday, October 13, with 236 votes against 149. The vote allows parliamentary debate on the government's finance plan to proceed. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu had urged Socialists to withdraw their motion, citing past compromises like the 1-euro Crous meals, but refused to make tax fairness a central issue. Socialist deputy Estelle Mercier criticized the government's "absolute taboo" on taxing the wealthy. The government still lacks a majority and may resort to Article 49.3 or ordinances to pass the bill. The budget debate includes 3,878 amendments on revenue, with Lecornu framing the plan as "as reversible as possible" ahead of the presidential election.