France’s National Assembly narrowly approved the 2026 social security budget late Tuesday, giving Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu an important victory as he pushed a compromise through a deeply divided parliament without using article 49.3, which lets a government force a bill through without a vote.
The bill scraped through by 247 votes to 234, with 93 abstentions, after weeks of bargaining and a tense day that ended with ministers hugging when the result was read out.
On the platform X, Lecornu praised what he called a “majority of responsibility” and said the result showed that “compromise is not a slogan, it allows us to move forward in the general interest”.
MPs from President Macron’s centrist Renaissance party, its ally MoDem, the centre-left Socialist Party and the cross-party LIOT group largely backed the text, while the far-right National Rally, its Ciotti allies, France Unbowed and some Communists voted against.
The minister for relations with Parliament, Laurent Panifous, told centrist daily Le Monde that the outcome would shape how lawmakers approach the government’s next big budget, the upcoming finance bill.
The lack of a clear majority has added to the pressure. Socialist leader Olivier Faure said “this victory is first of all that of parliament itself”.
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Pensions, parental leave
The deal that allowed the budget to pass includes suspending part of the pension reform, a key Socialist demand accepted by centrists.
More than 400,000 workers will retire earlier than expected. The retirement age for people born in 1964 will be capped at 62 years and nine months, with the same for those born in the first quarter of 1965.
New parents will receive a two-month birth leave, paid at 70 percent of salary for the first month and 60 percent for the second.
Debates stretched across 106 hours as the government tried to satisfy both left and right. Pierre Cazeneuve, a Renaissance MP, said “a good compromise is when, at the end, nobody is really happy”.
To fund the plan, household financial assets such as stock market shares will be taxed more, and private health insurers will face a €1 billion levy. The government also plans to limit sick leave prescriptions to a maximum of one month.
Several planned measures were dropped. Medical co-payments will not rise and social benefits will not be frozen. Retirement pensions will increase as scheduled next year.
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Political fault lines
Abstentions proved decisive. Republicans leader Laurent Wauquiez urged his MPs not to be “a blocking factor” given the advances obtained. Horizons MPs mostly abstained despite leader Paul Christophe criticising “a text without balance, without vision, without responsibility”.
The Greens also split, with 26 abstaining, three voting for and nine voting against. Parliamentary leader Cyrielle Chatelain said: “If I listened to my heart and my gut, I would vote against this text,” but argued the group had “avoided disaster”.
The Health Ministry says the social security deficit will reach €19.6 billion in 2026, €2 billion more than the government’s target. National Rally MP Jean-Philippe Tanguy told TF1 that France is heading for “a deficit never reached in a time without economic crisis”.
The bill now goes to the Senate on Friday, where many senators expect to reject it before sending it back to the assembly for a final vote next week.
