The French Socialist Party has said it will not back two no-confidence motions tied to the government's handling of the EU-Mercosur trade deal, relieving immediate pressure on President Macron's administration. Olivier Faure called it "absurd" to censure the government over Mercosur, while Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu vowed to reject both censure and dissolution and stressed he seeks stability. A parliamentary committee rejected the current budget bill and a vote on the motions is expected early next week as budget talks resume.
French Socialists Refuse to Back No-Confidence Motions Over Mercosur Deal, Easing Pressure on Macron Government
Olivier Faure, member of parliament and First Secretary of the French Socialist Party, attends a parliamentary debate at the National Assembly in Paris, France, November 12, 2025. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes
PARIS, Jan 11 — The French Socialist Party said on Sunday it will not support two no-confidence motions lodged by far-right and far-left opposition groups that challenged the government’s handling of the EU-Mercosur trade agreement, a move that temporarily eases pressure on President Emmanuel Macron’s fragile administration.
Olivier Faure, leader of the Socialist group, dismissed the idea of toppling the government over the trade pact. "It would be absurd to censure the government on Mercosur," he told BFM TV, referring to the long-running agreement between the European Union and the Mercosur bloc of South American countries that has been negotiated for roughly 25 years.
Lecornu: My Fight Is For Stability
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said he wants neither censure nor dissolution of the National Assembly. His office also asked the Interior Ministry to prepare contingency plans for snap legislative elections to be held alongside municipal polling on March 15 and 22 if the government collapses.
"Let's be clear. I want neither censure, nor dissolution. My fight is for stability and to ward off disorder," Lecornu told Le Parisien, adding that a successful no-confidence vote would send a dramatic domestic and international signal and denouncing "cynical partisan posturing" on social media.
The two motions — one filed by the far-right National Rally (RN) and another by the hard-left — faced long odds. Analysts noted left-wing parties typically refuse to back RN initiatives, making passage unlikely. Still, the threat underlines the delicate political balancing act for Macron’s government with just over a year until the 2027 presidential election and opinion polls showing RN as a competitive force.
Lawmakers are set to vote on the motions early next week as budget negotiations resume on Tuesday. Over the weekend, a parliamentary committee rejected the budget bill in its current form, underscoring the uphill task of passing a workable budget for the euro zone's second-largest economy.
The government has convened a last-resort meeting at the finance ministry with all parties except RN and the hard-left France Unbowed to try to reach a compromise on the budget. "There is a meeting tomorrow ... with those who are willing to discuss ... I hope for a compromise," Faure said, signaling some room for negotiation despite the looming parliamentary test.
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