PARIS: French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu put pressure on lawmakers on Monday to pass the 2026 budget by the end of the year after the deeply divided lower house of parliament rejected the tax side of the legislation. He said there was still time, but urged opposition lawmakers not to obstruct the legislation, which is due to head to the Senate on Monday after the lower house rejected parts of it.
Lecornu's appeal was the latest chapter in efforts by President Emmanuel Macron's minority government to pass a budget in a fragmented parliament — where the far right and hard left keenly await any missteps they could use to trigger a vote of no confidence and topple the prime minister. "This is an alert for the future... but yes we can do it," Lecornu said, adding there was still a majority of support in the lower house to pass a budget bill. The government's draft budget aimed to rein in the deficit with a fiscal squeeze worth over 30 billion euros, mostly through savings measures but also tax hikes. — Reuters
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