Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu of France said on Friday that he would not push through a spending bill without a full vote in Parliament, a risky bid to seek compromise in a country where lawmakers are sharply divided.
France desperately needs to agree a budget to rein in a ballooning debt and deficit that have fueled intense political turmoil, leading to the ouster of Mr. Lecornu’s past two predecessors and unsettling the economy. But the lower house is deadlocked between a collection of left-wing parties, a tenuous center-right coalition and a nationalist, anti-immigrant far right.
On Friday, Mr. Lecornu, who was appointed by President Emmanuel Macron earlier this month, put the onus on lawmakers to pass a budget by the end of the year. If they fail to do so, France could spiral further into political instability and economic uncertainty.
“In a functioning Parliament, one that was renewed over a year ago, with its divisions and which reflects the French, you cannot force your way through and you cannot force your opposition’s hand,” Mr. Lecornu said in a brief address on Friday.
“The government will also have to change method, build compromises,” he said.
Mr. Lecornu, a centrist ally of Mr. Macron, has been in talks with political parties and unions since his appointment, and his announcement also appeared to be an attempt to stave off the threat of being toppled before budget discussions had even begun. But he must thread a needle. He has to shore up a shaky alliance with conservatives, while also appeasing the moderate left — whose demands, like a wealth tax or a suspension of the newly raised legal retirement age, run counter to the pro-business agenda that Mr. Macron wants to preserve.
In making his surprise decision, Mr. Lecornu ruled out using Article 49.3 of the French Constitution, which allows the government to advance legislation without a vote in the lower house. His predecessors had sometimes used the measure to override complications and strong-arm lawmakers.
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The post French Prime Minister Vows to Let Parliament Decide on Budget Bill appeared first on New York Times.
